Israeli woman revisits Kibbutz Be’eri where Hamas terrorists murdered her parents

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Nine months after Hamas terrorists murdered her parents on Oct. 7, Amit Itiel-Hershkowitz (39) decided it was time to revisit the place of the traumatic event that forever changed her life.

Her parents, Noah and Ma'ayana Hershkowitz were killed in their home on Kibbutz Be’eri.

"I waited until the point where I'd feel I was capable of it," said Itiel-Hershkowitz, who currently lives in the Golan Heights in northern Israel.

"Until now, I couldn't bring myself to visit, to return to the house and the kibbutz where I grew up. It's no longer the same place. I came only after nine months, after the seasons had changed, after the rain had washed everything away," she added.

Be'eri, located near the Gaza border in southern Israel, was one of the hardest-hit communities on October 7. The invading Hamas terrorists brutally massacred over 100 Israeli civilians in the kibbutz, including women, children, and the elderly. In addition, dozens of Israeli security personnel were killed in battle with Hamas operatives, who also kidnapped residents from Be’eri, abducting them into Gaza.

"There is a powerful dissonance in that place," Itiel-Hershkowitz said after returning to her childhood home nine months after the unprecedented massacre.

"On one hand, there are green trees and bushes around, and in the middle, the burnt houses. Mom and dad moved there when I was a soldier, but for me and my children, their grandchildren – it is a home in every sense."

Hamas terrorists burned most of the homes in the neighborhood where her parents lived. A menorah, seven-branched candelabrum, was recovered in their home days after the massacre.

Tamir Hershkovitz, who lost his parents on October 7th, lighting the first candle of Hanukkah in the ruins of his house in kibbutz Beeri.
Surreal.
The song he sings would be a good choice for a national anthem…

pic.twitter.com/v7RiPZ5vBY
— Inbal Goshen (@GoshenInbal) December 10, 2023

The IDF recently presented a report on the investigation into the failures that led to the Be’eri massacre.

“The public is entitled to answers, and we must answer the most difficult and painful questions,” stated IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari.

“Today we presented the investigation of the battle in Be’eri,” he said. “This investigation is the beginning of a process.”

Itiel-Hershkowitz remains skeptical toward the formal investigation.

"I don't really have expectations from it because we are still deeply entrenched in the pain and the war. Of course, there are those who demand answers and accountability, and that's perfectly fine. On the other hand, I'm not sure how much light it will shed on things we already know.”

With her parents murdered and her childhood home burned, Itiel-Hershkowitz says there will be no closure for her.

"I think people in Be'eri want and are looking for closure, but for me, there will be no closure. My parents are gone. I also don't think one can judge the soldiers who came there and fought. No one thought at the time that it was an event of such magnitude."

In January, Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet intelligence agency eliminated Hamas commanders from the Nuseirat Battalion Ismail Siraj and one of his deputies, Ahmad Wahba.

The two Hamas leaders are reportedly responsible for orchestrating the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri on Oct. 7. The battalion also targeted other Israeli border communities and attacked Israeli forces using drones and anti-tank missiles.