'One war for another': Ukrainian refugees return from Israel
Kharkiv after Russia invaded last year, taking refuge in Israel's coastal town of Ashkelon, near Gaza.
Her husband had worked in Israel in the past, and she thought taking their three children there — away from Russian attacks — would guarantee living in peace.
But then came October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, leading to a war that has since killed thousands.
Like several thousand other Ukrainian refugees, Kocheva fled war for a second time.
«If I am killed then at least it's on my native land,» the 39-year-old said.
When Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022, Kocheva spent ten days hiding in a basement in Kharkiv, which almost fell to the Russian army.
Five months into the invasion, the family left for Israel.
They began a new life in Ashkelon, some 10 kilometres (six miles) from Gaza.
During the surprise attack by Hamas — which killed some 1,200 people — she felt she needed to leave.
«My hands started to shake and I had the same feeling that I did when it all started in our country,» she said.
Israel then launched a military campaign in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian militant group Hamas has said over 11,000 have since died.
'I needed to come home'
Kocheva slept in a shelter again, recalling endless sirens and explosions.
Then she decided she had to flee.
«When it intensified… I started to panic,» she said.
«I got scared, I realised that I needed to come home.»
The family was evacuated to central Israel, where they stayed several days, before going back to Kharkiv.
War is still a feature of life in Kharkiv — while being firmly under Ukrainian control, the city is regularly hit by Russian attacks. Sirens are still a regular part of life.
But for Kocheva, it was a relief to be back.
«I walk here,
