Residents of kibbutz destroyed in 7 October Hamas-led attacks grapple with how to rebuild

Roosting birds now coo among the ceiling tiles in the deserted dining room of Kibbutz Nir Oz, once the bustling heart of a close-knit, 400-strong Israeli community which was devastated by the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023.

"We used to come and see each other, eat together. There were lots of activities here, also holidays to celebrate," remembers Dalit Ram Aharon, who is showing me around with her husband, Achi.

By the glass entrance doors, dotted with bullet holes, there is a shocking reminder of what happened to the missing residents.

The postboxes for each household bear stickers put there after the attacks three years ago: red indicates those killed, and black those taken hostage. "That's one out of four of us: murdered or kidnapped," Dalit says. "Including children and babies."

As Israel marks the third anniversary of its deadliest-ever day, this is another painful time of reflection for residents of the kibbutz, which sits just a mile (1.6km) from the Gaza border and was one of the worst-hit places.

Time stands still at the nearby burnt-out house of the Siman Tov family, where a wind chime dangles by the door. A picture shows Tamar and Yonatan with their three children, twin girls Shahar and Arbel, five, and their two-year-old son, Omer.

The parents were shot through the door of their bomb shelter - designed to protect from rockets launched from Gaza, not gunfire.

Dalit, who survived with Achi and their three children by hiding in their own shelter for nearly 12 hours that day, recalls the last social media messages sent by Tamar to her neighbours.