Journalists were given access on Tuesday to witness firsthand the unimaginable devastation that befell Kfar Aza. The quiet community was thrown into chaos following a brutal massacre by Hamas terrorist infiltrators. The Israeli army, usually reserved in providing access to such sites, led the press into the heart of the tragedy at Kibbutz Kfar Aza. The proximity of the devastation was chilling, with the Gaza Strip less than a quarter of a mile away, visible by the rising plumes of smoke.

Onlookers were aghast at the utter destruction. Cars that once lined the streets now stand as charred remnants. The body count remains uncertain, as the IDF is still in the harrowing process of collecting the deceased from the very homes they once lived in. A hauntingly poignant silence is interrupted only by the occasional boom of mortars and rockets overhead, a cruel reminder of the ongoing conflict.

Nicole Zedek, a journalist for i24News, surveyed the scenes of horror and destruction, reporting that “about 40 babies and babies were taken out on gurneys… Cribs overturned strollers left behind, doors left wide open.”

According to reports, most of the babies and children had been decapitated. Their parents had been shot to death. Some families who locked themselves in their safe rooms and refused to come out were burned alive – whole families together.

Tragically, the death toll may still rise; soldiers are still working their way through the dystopian scenes before them.

One cannot help but draw chilling parallels between the foreign press being shown the aftermath and the somber moments post-WWII when the liberated concentration camps were revealed to the world. The aftermath of the raid left around 70 armed terrorists dead, their bodies now stark testimony to their ghastly deeds.

IDF Major General Itai Veruv somberly remarked, “It’s not a battlefield. It’s a scene of outright massacre. One look inside the homes, and the depth of this tragedy becomes starkly evident.”

The dangers are far from over for Kfar Aza. The threat of booby traps, grenades, and other explosives remains a real concern. The very vehicles of the terrorists still litter the area, and each could be a potential death trap.

Yet, in this grim setting, the primary focus is the harrowing task of retrieving the bodies of the fallen Israeli civilians. Heartrending images of victims, covered in sheets, being carried out have become all too common. The number of victims remains undetermined.

Witnessing such horror is traumatizing, even for battle-hardened soldiers. Reports of families found brutally murdered in their homes and children among the deceased only amplify the horror of the situation. The ongoing task of meticulously checking each residence is fraught with danger due to potential booby traps, further slowing down the identification process.

Scenes of everyday life—soccer nets, strollers, open doors—juxtaposed with the sheer destruction make the loss even more palpable. The landscape is scarred with burned-out homes, evidence of the terrorists’ sinister tactics of using fire to force residents out.

For the soldiers, the task is nightmarish. For the world watching, it’s a grim reminder of the depths of cruelty humanity can descend into.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)