KIBBUTZ NIR OZ, Israel—When Bat Sheva Yahalomi awoke to air raid sirens on the morning of October 7, she didn’t think much of it. The mother of three lived with her husband and children in Nir Oz, an idyllic community of 400 on the western edge of the Negev desert and, given its proximity to the Gaza Strip, an occasional target of cross-border rocket fire.
Charlotte Lawson is an editor at The Dispatch, currently based in Florida. She previously reported from Turkey and Israel. Prior to joining the company in 2020, she studied history and global security at the University of Virginia. When Charlotte is not keeping up with world affairs, she is probably trying her hand at oil painting.
