Residents of Kfar Aza kibbutz in southern Israel have started to return to pick up what remains of their belongings.

The kibbutz was one of more than 20 towns and villages that were attacked on Oct. 7 by Hamas militants, sparking the war with Israel.

Ayelet Katzir’s husband, David Kachko Kazir, was killed by Hamas during the raid.

"I came here to pick plants from my garden and some things that he liked, like he had a special mug, some of his clothes," she said. "I’m very glad that I came here but it’s so difficult. It’s very difficult."

Before the attack, the kibbutz was a modestly prosperous place with a school, a synagogue and a population of more than 700.

More than 1,200 people in Israel have died, most of them in the Hamas attack, and about 240 hostages were taken from Israel into Gaza by the militants. More than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.