The Israel-Hamas war has been marked by profound anger and grief. Warring factions have painted a battle of "us" versus "them", making it hard to see how any peaceful resolution can be reached.
But in between those extremes there are Israelis and Palestinians who want to believe there is a way for them all to co-exist.
Auckland-based Israeli chef Yael Shochat and her daughter Avigail Allan are among them. The day after the news of Hamas' attack on October 7 broke, they posted a message on their restaurant's social media page.
"It's been a terrible day in which Palestinian fighters from the Gaza Strip broke through the fences and into Israeli towns, killing hundreds of people and taking hostages back into Gaza," it read.
"The Israeli army's retaliation on Gaza has begun and I worry that the death toll is going to be enormous. I have deep connections to both sides and I am numb with terror."
It's a terror they – and their Palestinian friends Fathi Hassneiah and Mina Al-Ansari – have grappled with every day since.
Hamas' attack in October saw hundreds of civilians killed, thousands more injured, and more than 200 taken hostage.
Israel responded with a declaration of war, as it promised a swift retaliation for the deaths of hundreds of its civilians. In the weeks since, Gaza has faced intense aerial bombardment, followed by a ground invasion. The death toll there is said to have passed 9000.
Almost a month on, the four friends have gathered at the Ima Restaurant on Auckland's Fort St in a display of unity between Palestinians and Israelis.
"People have to start seeing us together," Hassneiah said. "The collective 'us'."
Shochat and Allan are part of a group called Dayenu: New Zealand Jews Against Occupation, while Hassneiah and Al-Ansari are part of Palestinian Youth Aotearoa. Both organisations are critical of Israel's policies and the impact it's had on Palestinians.
Hassneiah, who has called New Zealand home for more than 20 years, has family in Gaza. He said every day there is a battle for survival.
His message to those in power is simple – call a ceasefire now.
"We want everyone to live a justified, dignified life in peace. At some point this has to stop."
The recent fighting is just the latest escalation in what's been a decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Shochat was just four years old when her father died in the Six-Day War between Israel and a coalition of Arab states in 1967. She's grown up knowing the consequences of war.
"It's taught me to hate war," she said. But even then, years of being told to see Palestinians as "other" was hard to shake. "We've been told they are brutal, they are cruel, they are barbaric," she said.
But after getting to know Palestinians and discovering a shared love of food, family and friendships, she saw them differently. She hopes others will see that too.
"We can live together so well," she said. "I know that because I have such good Palestinian friends. I know the Israelis that haven't met them, they would have a great time with them too."
While she said fear and anger on both sides are legitimate and real, it's important for people to try and find a way to move forward.
"We've got such a long history of killing each other. I can't say that I'm really hopeful, but I think there's got to be a point where people say enough is enough. Maybe we are getting there? God, I hope so – I really do."
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