Nikita Soumrov and his son Avi had been amongst 1000’s of Israelis who had been attacked on the morning of October 7, after Hamas gunmen invaded southern Israel from Gaza.
About 1,400 folks had been killed – of their properties, in bomb shelters, at an out of doors rave.
Avi, 4 years previous, escaped by hiding in a closet.
He and plenty of different survivors stay traumatized by the expertise.
These are their tales.
“By the window, I noticed the terrorists setting hearth to the homes round us. » — Yossef Rozanski, 67 years previous
Yossef Rozansky, his spouse and daughter ran to assist a neighbor on Kibbutz Holit whose home was on hearth. Then they retreated to their very own protected. A grenade exploded of their home. They strengthened the door. One other explosion injured the eight members of the family inside. His daughter put a tourniquet on his leg. “I am harm,” he remembers, “sitting there hugging my granddaughter and everybody else sitting within the protected, staying very quiet and searching on a regular basis at their injured grandmother and the spilling blood everywhere in the room.”
“It was like a taking pictures vary.” — Hila Fakliro, 26, who survived the Hamas assault on the Tribe of Nova music competition
Health teacher Hila Fakliro was tending bar on the Tribe of Nova music competition when she noticed what she thought was fireworks. “I don’t assume they’re fireworks,” mentioned a fellow bartender. They had been Hamas rockets. Quickly, males armed with weapons appeared among the many eucalyptus timber the place the revelers had simply been dancing. “There have been these loopy folks with weapons and other people falling one after the other,” Ms. Fakliro mentioned.
“It was the scariest day of my life.” — Stav Nitzan, 8, who hid for 12 hours in a safe room in Netiv Haasara
“Mother woke me up and simply mentioned ‘run to the protected,’ and my dad pulled out his gun and guarded our entrance door,” remembers Stav Nitzan, the youngest of three brothers. “I needed to sit quietly so the terrorists would not break into our protected. Each time I wished to go on the market was one other rocket.
Ultimately, the household was saved with the assistance of their neighbor Benny, “who’s the bravest man on the planet, as a result of many terrorists chased him and he managed to avoid wasting us, together with different fathers” , Stav mentioned.
“I do know we are going to all want quite a lot of psychological assist to outlive and get our lives again on observe. » — Tami Cohen Shapira, 55, together with her husband Patrick Cohen, 58, and their sons Gil, 18, and Dan, 15. His son Ziv, 26, was killed whereas making an attempt to flee the music competition.
“The final message I obtained from my mom that morning was that she had handed the pangram on Spelling Bee.” — Keren Flash, 34, together with her husband, Avidor Schwartzman, 37, and their daughter, Saar, 1. His mom and father, Cindy and Yigal, had been killed close by in Kibbutz Kfar Aza.
“It was solely after we had been capable of board the bus that evacuated us that we discovered of our household’s miracle. » – Avivit Gohn, 62, who lives on Kibbutz Be’eri. Fourteen of his kin managed to flee, together with a nephew who was hit within the neck with an axe.
“The lady who was sitting proper in entrance of me was abruptly shot. » — Sheerel Gabay, 23, who escaped the music competition
Sheerel Gabay hid with mates and 30 or 40 others in a roadside bomb shelter close to Beeri. For seven hours, Hamas threw grenades and shot at these inside. She was shot within the knee and suffered two compound fractures and a ruptured eardrum.
The lady who was shot in entrance of her fell backwards, trapping Ms. Gabay beneath her lifeless physique. “I could not transfer and I could not cease pondering I used to be coated by a lifeless lady,” she mentioned.
“I’ve skilled many wars, however one thing like this has by no means occurred earlier than. » — Lea Horowitz, 92, who was taken to a safe room in her dwelling on Kibbutz Nir Am by her assistant, Jessica Noveno, 34.
“We drove by way of the fields and noticed vehicles with damaged home windows with folks nonetheless inside, however we managed to flee.” — Ori Sobo, 10, who was awake, planning a pal’s birthday, when she fled in her pajamas together with her household of their automobile
“I used to be afraid the terrorists would hear her crying inside and burst in.” » — Nir Sadan, 25, who tried to calm his mom after studying of his brother’s demise whereas they had been hiding of their protected on Kibbutz Mefalsim.
“I consider we now have the suitable to be right here, however I additionally perceive that it’s not solely my place, but additionally that of one other folks. » — Roni Keidar, 79, together with her husband, Ovadia, 82
Longtime peace activist Roni Keidar obtained cellphone messages from mates in Gaza who had been nervous about her through the assault as she took refuge of their shelter in Netiv Haasara, close to Gaza’s northern border, the place they’ve lived for many years.
“We are going to come again, for certain, and if obligatory, I’ll battle with my very own fingers,” mentioned her husband, Ovadia Keidar. “We are going to restore the injury in order that our youngsters have an instance of learn how to defend the nation with out concern. »
“I coated their eyes with my hand in order that they wouldn’t see the horrible photographs of our bodies scattered in every single place.” — Maayan Dotan, 47, together with her daughter Yuval, 9. They fled Netiv Haasara after her brother Eran, a soldier, guarded their gate.
“I don’t see us going again to the kibbutz. I do not assume we are going to ever really feel protected in our dwelling once more. — Lotus Lahav, 22, who took refuge in Nir Ouncestogether with her mom, Irit, in a safe room
“You lie together with your spouse in a discipline and also you simply know that it’s a must to survive someway to be together with your kids.” — Lior Matzner, 32, along with his spouse Bar, 35, who each fled the music competition
“I’m conscious that in Gaza folks stay a life with out hope. To do such issues it’s a must to get to a degree the place you not worth your life. — Nadav Morag, 28, who fled the music competition
“I grabbed our child and escaped.” — Shaylee Atary, 34, together with her one-month-old child, Shaya, whose father was killed
Their protected in Kfar Aza provided no safety. Shaylee Atary’s husband, Yahav, “leaned as onerous as he might towards the door to cease them from breaking in,” she mentioned. She remembers “working outdoors barefoot, holding my child as tight as doable,” hiding in shrubs and bushes till she reached a neighbor’s shed. She positioned baggage of soil and fertilizer on it, she mentioned, making an attempt to “calm Shaya’s screams so the terrorists would not hear her and uncover us.”
Her husband, who remained behind, disappeared for 4 days earlier than she lastly discovered that he was lifeless. She could not rise up from the bottom till she heard Shaya crying.
“When Dad lastly got here dwelling, I felt safer as a result of he had a gun.” — Noam Pelz, 10, whose father was working of their greenhouses on the time of the assault. The household took refuge of their protected.
“Bullets hit the door and one hit my abdomen, and I held Avraham, however I wasn’t afraid, not for me. I used to be afraid for my grandchildren. — Simcha Shani and her husband Avraham, each 79 years previous. Their grandson Amit Shani, 15, was kidnapped and brought to Gaza.
“The scent was horrible. All the pieces round us had been burned. — Michal Pinyan, 44, together with her husband, Lotan, 42, and their kids Aya, 13; Arbel, 11 years previous; and Adar, 9 years previous
As they sheltered of their protected, the identical message stored popping up from moms in a WhatsApp group in Beeri: “Assist us! » Shortly after, Michal Pinyan’s personal mom, who lived close by, obtained a message: “They’re throwing grenades. They attempt to blow up the protected door. His final message additionally learn merely: “Assist.”
“They lived three minutes from me and I am going loopy as a result of I can not assist them they usually had been murdered,” Ms. Pinyan mentioned of her dad and mom. “They had been each 69 years previous.”
“I someway thought they had been discovered lifeless of their dwelling, however a pal who recognized them mentioned their our bodies had been thrown outdoors,” she added. “That they had each been shot within the head and their fingers had been handcuffed with black zip ties.”
“My household is in Gaza. » — Avichai Brodetz, 42, whose spouse, Hagar, 40, was kidnapped in Kfar Aza and brought hostage with their daughters Ofri, 10; Yuval, 8 years previous; and Uriya, 4 years previous. A neighbor’s daughter, Avigayil, aged 3, was additionally taken away.
“We had been trapped beneath incessant hearth for 4 hours. » — Ido Belkin, 21, an off-duty Israel Protection Forces soldier who was injured after responding to an emergency name and speeding to a base in Zikim
