The darkest day

A devastating attack on Israel by Hamas militants from Gaza has left more than a thousand civilians dead on both sides and provoked a conflict likely to unfold on a scale not seen in the region for 50 years. How did it come to this, and what now lies ahead?

- Bethan McKernan

Nahal Oz, a kibbutz in southern Israel, home to about 400 people, is so close to the Gaza Strip that the nearest Palestinian house in Sajaiya is just 600 metres away. Despite the hi-tech fences and buffer zone separating them, neighbours can see each other hanging out their washing.

Until the late 1980s, older members of Nahal Oz used to regularly drive a few kilometres west, to shop in Gaza City's markets, eat the enclave's famous seafood, or go for a walk on the Mediterranean coastline. Many still have friends in Gaza. Despite the Israeli blockade imposed in 2007, after the militant group Hamas seized control of the area, they kept in touch with calls and WhatsApp messages.

Recently, the community began work on a visitor centre for those wanting to learn more about the kibbutz ethos of sustainability and a pastoral way of life. A listing on a kibbutzim website wondered whether the neighbours from Sajaiya would one day also be able to visit. After the events of last weekend, in which Hamas militants slaughtered more than 700 Israelis in 20 places across the country's south, including Nahal Oz, it seems unlikely the old friends will ever meet again.

Nadav Peretz, and his partner, Eli Dudaei, both 42, moved to Nahal Oz from Tel Aviv seven years ago, in search of a more relaxed existence. They knew there were risks living so close to territory controlled by violent extremists, but rockets sometimes landed near their old home in Israel's economic capital too. Heading to the safe room for a few minutes whenever an air raid siren goes off is part of kibbutz life. For the neighbours in Sajaiya, there are no bomb shelters.

Early last Saturday morning, after the sirens blared for the first time, the crack of a pistol and machine gun fire and boom of rocket-propelled grenades punctured the morning quiet.