Lori Hinnant, Sam McNeil and Maya Alleruzo put together by far the most comprehensive account of Hamas’ attack on the Israeli kibbutz of Nir Oz and linked it to Hamas’ exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners. They assembled the riveting account of what happened during the attack of Oct. 7 through a review of hundreds of messages among Nir Oz residents shared exclusively with The Associated Press, direct interviews with 17 of the residents (and accounts from many more), security camera footage, and Hamas’ own instruction manuals. They linked the story to the release of Israeli hostages by Hamas — many of them from Nir Oz — in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The story showed close-up how Hamas has changed its hostage strategy to include civilians, and how it has played out. The story led the APNews site on the day it broke.
“We are officially hostages:” How the Israeli kibbutz of Nir Oz embodied Hamas’ strategy
Palestinians transport a captured Israeli civilian, Adina Moshe, from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz to the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023. An Associated Press review of hundreds of messages shared among Nir Oz residents, security camera footage and Hamas instruction manuals show the group planned ahead of time to target civilians, a change in tactic that heavily impacted how the war in Gaza played out.
AP PHOTO