Kibbutz Be’eri commemorates the Oct. 7 attack in silence, amid burned homes

Members of Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the hardest-hit communities during the Oct. 7 attack, gather amid the burned ruins of their homes and demanded an immediate return of the hostages during a memorial and rally.

More than 95 people were killed there and 30 were taken hostage on Oct. 7, according to the community’s spokesperson. Some of the women and children from the kibbutz were released in a ceasefire deal in November, but 10 hostages from Be’eri remain in captivity. Israel believes most of them are no longer alive.

Today, the community marched silently through the streets of the kibbutz bearing signs for the hostages before gathering for a rally, unfurling a massive flag with the words “Be’eri cannot heal until everyone is home.”

Ella Ben-Ami, whose father Ohad Ben-Ami was kidnapped from Be’eri, addresses the crowd and demands the government bring her father home.

She says she continues to take solace from the video of his kidnapping, when he stands tall and proud, as if he knew he was being filmed, to broadcast a message to his family that he would be OK.

Many people at Be’eri were dreading the anniversary, which felt like an “impossible” amount of time, she says. “But then I stop for a moment, I think that my father woke up today to count a year in captivity, a year!” she said.