Israelis ink the memory of deadly attacks onto their skin

The date October 7 will be forever etched in Israeli history, marking the day Hamas gunmen rampaged through southern communities, killing 1,400 people, in the country’s deadliest attack since its founding in 1948.

Now, many Israelis are getting the date tattooed on their bodies to commemorate the dead and missing, and bear witness to the collective tragedy.

“It was a very difficult date for the whole state of Israel, including for those who weren’t in the affected areas,” said tattoo artist Roey Benezri-Levy, who works in the seaside resort of Eilat, far from where Hamas attacked.

“Some people choose to tattoo images that remind them of their home, the family, or the people kidnapped, in one way or another,” he said. “Many of them write the date, October 7. We all understand what that means.”

University student Gal Nishman got a tattoo on his back in black and blue ink combining a Star of David with the numerals 7/10.

“The truth is I don’t know anyone who was murdered, fortunately … but the tattoo for me is a symbol,” he said. “On one side (the tattoo) is dark, representing those who were captured. On the other, there is blue, the Star of David, Israel, (showing) that we’re here to win.”

Benezri-Levy said clients had found solace in the experience. “Many folks told me it lifted a heavy weight off their hearts. It brought out feelings I haven’t felt before. It gave me a lot of strength, a lot of hope,” he said.

Another tattoo artist, Sheli Eliel, has also been busy since the attacks in her studio in Magan Michael, some 400 km (250 miles) north of Eilat, on the Mediterranean coast.

“It’s therapeutic,” she said. “I never asked questions before, but during the tattooing, the stories come out, they share them and cry. It is quite amazing,” she said.

Among those seeking to commemorate recent events was Hadas Karmazin, a resident from the south, close to the border of the Gaza Strip, controlled by Hamas, who has been evacuated from her home as Israeli forces gather ahead of a possible invasion.

She had three stars inked close to her heart to represent her three sons, two of whom are in combat units while the third is set to enlist this month.

She also had a large lotus flower tattooed on her forearm, saying it represented Israeli residents of the south. “It grows with glory and flourishes even in murky water, especially in murky water,” she said. “Despite everything I will return home.”