Evidence of October 7 massacre must be preserved - opinion

• Published date: 13 March 2024
• Author: ZACH D. HUFF
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

During recent visits to Auschwitz, the Supernova site, and Nir Oz, I witnessed the profound impact of allowing evidence to speak for itself

Countless solidarity and educational trips have already visited the October 7 areas to bear witness. My group was the 78th such cohort led by just one guide, a first responder after the attacks. Our journey was tied to a minimum donation for rebuilding Nir Oz which is pursuing a two-year, $83 million reconstruction plan.

Argentina's President, Javier Milei, had visited Nir Oz just days before.

The first stop on our solidarity trip was near Tkuma, where about 1,800 destroyed vehicles are stacked, several deep. There was no room for our group to enter, due to the jam of other buses and groups of touring soldiers. The smashed vehicles are already quite rusted. Noting this, one woman asked how they would be preserved. The reply was "there's no plan yet."

Next was the Supernova massacre site. No signs remain, as all vehicles and venue remains were removed. The lightly wooded area is bustling with diverse groups, such as soldiers and religious female students who come to pay respects, sing group songs, and share words of encouragement. Only a little scorched earth is still visible from beneath a layer of lush ground and blooming scarlet anemone wildflowers. It was a natural choice for a music festival.

At Nir Oz, we saw the posters of hostages and victims that are plastered across the country. Here, the posters are on the doors of the homes, where those pictured were snatched, assaulted, and murdered; providing a physical anchor to the tragic stories we all know.

There's the Bibas home, with baby Kfir's toys still spilled around the porch, waiting for him abducted at 9 months, to come home.

Nearby is the home of Yaffa Adar, the 85-year-old great-grandmother and Holocaust survivor infamously hauled off to Gaza on a golf cart. It felt like stepping into a crime scene. Residents shared the vivid stories behind the scars on every home. Plastic chairs are still positioned near mounds of ash, where recovery workers sat and sifted for human remains. Some on the tour asked about preservation plans, but it seemed there were none.

As weeks go by and the ashes are blown away, evidence of the devastation is disappearing. This began with the repainting of roadside bomb shelters. Lacking doors, these tight concrete spaces were intended to shield people from projectiles landing from above. Israelis sought cover from terrorists inside...