In ravaged Israeli kibbutz, reopened printing house a sign of resilience

The printing press in Beeri, an Israeli community that suffered one of Hamas's worst atrocities on October 7, has started up again in a small step towards recovery.

The kibbutz in the south of Israel, less than five kilometres (three miles) from the Gaza Strip, was home to 1,200 people.

Nearly 90 of them including children were among the 1,400 people Israeli officials say were killed in the surprise raids by Palestinian militants.

Some 30 Beeri residents remain missing and are believed to be held captive in Gaza.

A month after the attacks, traces of the extreme violence meted out by Hamas gunmen remain visible. Devastated homes, blood stains and, in some places, the lingering smell of death.

Naor Pakciarz, 45, who has lived in Beeri since 2000, guided an AFP team through the area, stopping regularly: "My best friend was killed here, with his nine-month-old daughter. There, my father in law was killed."

Somehow, the printing house, which Pakciarz jointly manages, survived the destruction despite being fired at.

"They (Hamas) shot only five bullets at the factory. They saw there was nobody in it, as it was shabbat," the Jewish day of rest, he said.

"But if they had known how important it is here, they would have burnt it," he added.

The Beeri printer, founded in 1950, is the largest in Israel. It has 400 employees, among them 150 members of the kibbutz, making it one of the biggest employers in the area.

Driving licenses, invoices and other official documents are printed here.

"It's the heart of the kibbutz," said Pakciarz.

- 'Success story' -

The press closed for only a week, he said with pride. Work resumed even though not all the dead had yet been buried and more bodies continued to be discovered.

"At the beginning, there were 10 people working, and after two days, 20. And today, it's running at 80 percent" capacity, he said.

"We talked about how we can rise from this and be again a success story and not a sad story," Pakciarz added.

"We want to be a success story again."

Ten employees of the Beeri business including its finance director were killed on October 7. But 100 or so returned and a further 100 have been working remotely from hotels where they were relocated.

Pakciarz recalled his emotions on returning to work.

"It was a good day. This day gave us hope," he said.

Ella Shalom, a secretary, resumed work on October 18.

"In terms of mental health, returning to work releases a lot, trying to regain a semblance" of normalcy, said the 44-year-old.

"We are busy, so we don't have time to be on our phones or follow the news."

The reopening of the press has inspired other businesses in the region, said Pakciarz.

"If Beeri members came back one week after and started working again, raised their heads and started working again, then (they) have to do the same," he said.

By the start of November, agricultural work in the kibbutz, including the harvesting of mangos and avocados, had resumed.

However, Pakciarz himself said he did not expect to return to live in Beeri anytime soon.

Israel has responded to the Hamas attack with a withering barrage of fire and a ground invasion, killing more than 10,000 people, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has promised to "destroy" Hamas.

Beeri is near enough to Gaza that the sound of the bombs is audible. For Pakciarz, that is too close.

"If the situation stays the same, if Hamas stays in power, I won't come back to live here with my wife and our four children," he said.