IDF Soldiers Return to Kfar Aza Home Behind Iconic October 7 Photograph
Three years after October 7, IDF soldiers and photographer Ziv Koren returned to Kfar Aza, revisiting the iconic ruined home where they were photographed mourning.
Three years after the devastating events of October 7, 2023, two IDF soldiers and a prominent war photographer have returned to the ruined home of Rachel Cohen in Kfar Aza, revisiting the scene that produced one of the most poignant symbols of the war.
Return to Kfar Aza
Lt. Col. Netanel Makis, then head of the IDF Counter-Terrorism (LOTAR) branch, and reservist Sgt. First Class Yair Ansbacher met at the destroyed dining table where a famous photograph was captured just days after the Hamas massacre. The original image, taken by renowned photographer Ziv Koren on October 9, 2023, shows the two armed soldiers standing in front of a shattered holiday table complete with challah and wine, overcome with grief.
"We are human beings before we wear uniforms. We saw devastation," they recalled while looking at the framed photograph inside the ruined house.
The Outbreak of War
On the morning of October 7, Makis received an urgent call from a comrade near the unit's base reporting an unprecedented security situation in the south. Drawing on intelligence from his wife Adi, a paramedic with Magen David Adom, Makis deployed immediately from his home in Zichron Yaakov. Simultaneously, Ansbacher, an expert in security research, woke up to rocket sirens in Jerusalem and rushed south to join the LOTAR unit.
Throughout the fierce battles that followed, the unit suffered heavy losses, including the death of former commander Lt. Col. Eli Ginsberg, along with four other fallen soldiers and commanders: Staff Sgt. Ben Rubinstein, Master Sgt. (Res.) Omri Belkin, Maj. (Res.) Roi Negri, and Maj. (Res.) Sagi Golan.
A Photograph That Captured the Nation's Grief
When Koren joined the LOTAR forces entering Kfar Aza to document the aftermath, the area remained an active combat zone. Entering Cohen's home, the troops encountered a sukkah standing at the entrance, family portraits, and bullet-riddled walls surrounding the holiday table.
"It was a moment that shook me to the core. Netanel was right there beside me, supporting me," Ansbacher said. Koren noted that the photograph resonated globally because it encapsulated the raw emotional breakdown of soldiers standing amidst total destruction.
