It's so different from the media narrative': telling a different story of 7 October

"When Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities on 7 October 2023, unleashing a devastating retaliation against Gaza that is still under way nearly two years later, those few who still hoped for peaceful coexistence were among the first to die. The hardest-hit kibbutz, Nir Oz, has nearly 70 year-old roots in the Jewish socialist youth group, Hashomer Hatzair, which advocated for equal rights for Jews and Arabs in a binational state."

"Before the attack, volunteers from the kibbutz transported critically ill Palestinians from Gaza to Israeli hospitals for treatment. Liat and Aviv Atzili were staunch liberals, a history teacher and an artist-mechanic, progressive parents to their three children. When Liat, a US-Israeli dual national, would complain about some difficulty in life on the kibbutz, Aviv would remind her of the plight of 2.3 million Palestinians living a couple of kilometres away, walled up in the tiny Gaza Strip."

On 7 October 2023 Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities, triggering a prolonged Israeli military retaliation against Gaza that continued nearly two years later. Nir Oz, a kibbutz with Hashomer Hatzair roots, was among the hardest hit; volunteers from the kibbutz had previously transported critically ill Palestinians to Israeli hospitals. Liat and Aviv Atzili were progressive parents; Aviv left home as part of a first response team and Liat was taken hostage to Gaza. Of Nir Oz's 427 residents, 47 were killed and 76 taken hostage. The Israeli campaign has killed at least 64,000 Palestinians over 23 months, probably far more, and has shown no signs of abating despite charges of genocide against the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. The documentary Holding Liat records the family's efforts to secure Liat's return and the emotional aftermath for survivors.

Read at www.theguardian.com