Survivors of October 7 Hamas attack take 'therapeutic' dive in the Red Sea

In the turquoise waters of the Red Sea, Avital is one of many survivors of the Nir Oz kibbutz to take up freediving -- a sport that involves holding one's breath and plunging deep beneath water for extended periods of time.

She and her husband Benny are among the survivors from Nir Oz, one of the hardest hit kibbutzim in Hamas's devastating attacks that left at least 1,140 people dead in southern Israel, according to an AFP tally based on the latest Israeli figures.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and launched a punishing offensive that has reduced vast areas of Gaza to a ruined wasteland and killed at least 21,978 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.