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Many Israelis, Scarred by Oct. 7, See Gaza Only as a Threat
(AP-San Francisco Chronicle) Cara Anna - Three years after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people in Israel and abducted 251 others, a visit to the communities attacked that day made clear: It's too soon for many residents to see the Palestinians next door as anything other than a threat. Everywhere in Israel - at train stations, beaches - are dozens of stickers in memory of the hundreds of soldiers killed on Oct. 7 and in the ensuing war. The highway running parallel to Gaza, where militants gunned down people trying to flee, is dotted with memorials. Victims' smashed and bullet-pocked cars are assembled elsewhere, rusting and piled a half-dozen high. One resident, Deganit Bar Hay, said she still can't barbecue because the smell of burnt flesh - "the smell of hell" - is a trigger. There is rebuilding in the Israeli communities where militants went home to home, burning and shooting. There is also the insistence on keeping Oct. 7 memories alive.