A sticker on the front door declares the house contains no dead bodies or body parts. On the walls, months-old spray paint confirms no gunmen or explosives are present.

Three months on, signs of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks remain everywhere in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, but the markings recorded on their house, and the harrowing memories they evoke, have not deterred Ayelet Khon and Shar Shnurman from coming back home.

The couple are among the first to return to their house in the traumatised community just a few km (miles) from the Gaza Strip. It was one of the hardest hit by the Hamas assault that sparked the devastating conflict in Gaza, now in its 100th day.

“For us, it was worse to be a refugee than to be at home,” said 55-year-old Khon. For nearly everyone else, it is still too dangerous. Fighting across the border is audible and when rocket sirens go off, there is just around 10 seconds to take cover.

“Kids shouldn’t be here right now,” Khon said.