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Israeli Life on the Gaza Border
(Telegraph-UK) Henry Bodkin - Last Sunday evening, a mortar shell struck near the edge of Kibbutz Nirim just two seconds after the red alert blared out, giving the group of children playing soccer no time to react. It exploded 30 meters away. Miraculously, no one was hurt. "It brings back all the anxiety and fear. You can't let your kids go out to play soccer," said Maya Liberman, the community manager. When I visited, the sound of the conflict just over the fence in Khan Yunis was inescapable: from the thud and crack of airstrikes and artillery shells, to heavy machine guns and the constant whine of drones. This is now the reality for increasing numbers of Oct. 7 massacre survivors, who are returning to their homes in the Gaza envelope after the army lifted most restrictions at the end of last month. Although significantly degraded, Hamas is still capable of threatening Israeli communities with its rockets and mortars. Nirim was one of the first Israeli communities attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7. Seven people were murdered in Nirim, with four taken hostage. Two women were subsequently released, while the two men were murdered in captivity.