In Kibbutz Nahal Oz, Israel, Dani Rahamim, who has spent 50 of his 72 years in this area, thinks of his neighbors near Gaza. As one of the leftist figures of this kibbutz, he has experienced new emotions and attitudes following the October 7, 2023 attacks carried out by Hamas fighters.
Casualties and Changing Attitudes
These attacks resulted in the deaths of 16 residents of Nahal Oz, and Rahamim emphasizes that due to the proximity of this kibbutz to a military base, casualties were lower compared to neighboring kibbutzim like Kfar Aza and Be'eri, which had 64 and 102 fatalities respectively. He says, "People have changed their views after these attacks."
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Hopelessness and Demand for Security
Among the residents of Nahal Oz, hope for peace has significantly diminished. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has focused on promises to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state in his upcoming elections. Nama Zadok-Rahamim, Rahamim's stepdaughter, expresses her disappointment, saying, "My expectation from leaders is real security." She also points out the difficulty in distinguishing between Hamas and other residents of Gaza, stating that she can no longer make a distinction.
Nadav Perez, a hospital employee who has always voted for leftists, has changed his view of Gaza after the attack, declaring that "his sympathy has become more ambiguous." He has not yet decided how he will vote in the upcoming elections.
Rahamim, referring to the current situation, says he will vote for Yair Golan, the center-left candidate. He believes that Golan is the only main leader who has explicitly stated that he wants to cooperate with representatives of the Arab minority in Israel.
As Nahal Oz looks towards Gaza, it sees the destruction on the other side of the border. Rahamim recalls that his daughter was once terrified by the bombings and asked, "If we can hear these bombs so clearly, how can the children of Gaza endure this?" But now he believes that Palestinians in Gaza are all the same and only wish to harm Israelis.
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