Israeli parents in recent weeks they give their newborn children names from place names where the were committed massacres by Hamas at October 7 in Israelaccording to the Ministry of the Interior.

In a press release, the ministry said 45 babies — 34 boys and 11 girls — born after Oct. 7 were named Beeri, after the kibbutz near the Gaza Strip, scene of one of the worst massacres committed on Israeli soil. . In this kibbutz since the October 7 attacks, 85 of its residents have been massacred, another 30 are considered hostages or missing.

The kibbutz, founded in 1946, was named in honor of the Zionist and socialist leader Berl Katznelson (1887-1944), whose Hebrew first name was Beeri.

In retaliation for the Hamas attack, which left about 1,200 casualties, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities, Israel declared war to “eliminate” Hamas by relentlessly shelling the Gaza Strip. More than 14,100 people have since been killed in shelling in the Palestinian enclave, the majority civilians, according to the Hamas government.

The male first name Oz (meaning “strength”) was given during this period to 49 boys and one girl, after the toponyms of the Nir Oz and Nahal Oz kibbutzim, both targets of Islamist commando attacks.

In the Nir Oz kibbutz, about 30 people were killed and nearly 70 taken hostage out of the 400 or so residents of this small farming community. There are also 8 babies named Nir, according to this press release.

Three girls were also named Nova, after the rave party that killed 364 people. More than 3,000 people participated on October 6 and 7 in the Tribe of Nova festival, a music festival, meeting place and peace in the Negev desert. About 10% of participants died.