Two years too late

Netanyahu finally visits Nir Oz, meets Einav Tsengauker | WATCH

636 days after the October 7 massacre, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Nir Oz for the first time, facing grief-stricken families and fierce criticism for what many see as his government’s abandonment during the attack.

Gila Isaacson

JUL 3, 2025 17:46

2 min read

Netanyahu finally visits Nir Oz, meets Einav Tsengauker | WATCH

For the first time since the October 7, 2023 massacre, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Kibbutz Nir Oz today, 636 days after the tragedy that saw one in four residents killed or abducted to Gaza.

The kibbutz, a symbol of abandonment during the prolonged attack, welcomed Netanyahu with a sign reading “Mr. Abandonment.”

Many people there were unhappy to see him, to put it mildly (even though they have been telling him to come and visit for a long time, and he finally got around to it) and were vocal about it.

Rauma Kedem, who lost six family members in the massacre, stood at the kibbutz gate, declaring, “My murdered family is not a prop for your election campaign.” She accused Netanyahu of enabling the attack, stating, “You opened the yellow gate to Hamas.” Danny Elgart, whose brother Itzik’s body was returned in February, criticized the visit as a “PR stunt.” She urged Netanyahu to take responsibility and establish a state inquiry.

Lior Simcha, secretary-general of the Kibbutz Movement, emphasized that “rehabilitation is impossible without returning the hostages.”

He also met with Einav Tsengauker, mother of hostage Matan Tsengauker, and Ilana Gritzewsky, a former captive. Einav has been his sworn enemy, angrily and continuously protesting against him, viciously criticising him and his coalition and government for not bringing her hostage son back home. But she embraced his wife Sarah warmly anyway, possibly realizing that they were finally doing the right thing about visiting Nir Oz, however unpleasant they knew it would be.

Of the 76 Nir Oz residents abducted, nine remain in Hamas captivity, including four with confirmed signs of life. The military’s eight-month investigation, led by Maj. Gen. (res.) Eran Niv, detailed the absence of IDF forces during the attack, with 400-500 Hamas terrorists overwhelming 385 civilians.