Chaim is returning to the site of the Nova Music Festival massacre. He was there a few days after October 7th, 2023, and he saw the shot up portapotties and other wreckage. But now, all that has been cleared away and trees have been planted to commemorate everyone who was killed.
There is also a forest at nearby Kibbutz Beeri dedicated to the massacre, and there are thousands of trees planted there for all the people who were killed, wounded and kidnapped.
Chaim explains to the viewers who these people were, why they lived in these communities so close to the Gaza border and what they hoped and dreamt for.
He explains that many of them were activists for peace and normalization with the Palestinians. They gave jobs to Palestinians from Gaza, and many of these workers passed their knowledge of the area’s topography and geography on to Hamas so they could plan their attack. Some of them also came to Israel on October 7th and took an active part in the atrocities.
Chaim notes that when visiting this place, you will hear explosions and other noises of war because the operations to disarm Hamas and eliminate the threat they pose is ongoing.
Chaim says that it’s sad to see people coming to this place of memorial and weeping, especially as many of the dead people who are being mourned were so young. He says that everywhere one goes in these communities there are reminders of the people who were murdered. He says it’s not natural to have these kinds of reminders of death everywhere.
But he says that there is also new life coming forth, and Israel is determined to continue to thrive and be free and successful. He says that the IDF will not stop keeping the country safe and secure and free.
Chaim then leads the viewers through a tour of the grounds, showing them some of the other trees and memorials to the victims that are there. He also shows them a group of new IDF recruits who are being shown the area so that they will know what it is they’re fighting for.
Chaim also explains that the sound of helicopters flying overhead is because there are wounded IDF soldiers being evacuated out of the Gaza Strip on an almost daily basis and they fly right over this area on their way to the hospitals in Israel.