On the morning of October 7, over 2,000 Hamas terrorists marched into Israeli towns and kibbutzim in the south of Israel, entered the houses, killed their inhabitants, burned the houses of those who were hiding in safe spaces, and kidnapped over 230 Israelis, including babies, children, old people, and women. Many of those who were killed, burned, and kidnapped were left-wing peace activists: three volunteers who used to drive Gazan patients to Israeli hospitals, one of the founders of Women Wage Peace (which calls itself “the largest grassroots peace movement in Israel”), relatives of leading human rights organizations in Israel who fight against occupation and injustice, and many more.
In fact, the population of the now-destroyed kibbutzim near the border with Gaza included perhaps the most left-leaning communities in Israel, despite suffering for years from rocket fire, burning fields, and terrorists’ infiltration.