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Testimony Archive

The stories of those who survived 

October 7, 2023 attacks

“Another couple of hours we would have been dead anyways”- Deborah Mintz on 7.10 in Nirim

From Tamar Livyatan's testimony: "I have a daughter and granddaughter here, and I am not leaving without them."

From Judith Bdolach's testimony: "What should have been a calm and quiet work-out, turned into a nightmare"

From Amir Levkowiz's testimony: ""They'll have to go through me, but they won't get in from here. And I just shoot.""

From Jude Ida Turgeman's testimony: "They realized that we might not live, they realized that their friends were being killed."

From Etel Bennett's testimony: "I said to my grandson: "I'm not Rambo. I'm not going to fight anyone with knives.""

From Liat Ben- shimol's testimony: "The beautiful and pastoral moshav had turned into a war zone, a battlefield."

From Rotem Israel's testimony: "I saw the barrel of a rifle between the closet and the wall, as if death was looking into my face"

From MESHI FOLDES, Sebabstian Posdsamser's testimony: "I hear gunshots spinning by me from every direction."

From Danny Garkovitch's testimony: " I performed the tearing mourning ritual in my heart a long time ago."

From Regina Solomon's testimony: "“Nobody understands what’s going on; firing, loud noise and many missiles.”"

From Avi Firuz's testimony: "They shot their dogs. They shot their cats. They used to care for the cats of the Moshav, feed them."

From Nitzan Sinvaniy's testimony: "I’m sitting on someone, in the middle, if a bullet comes now, I’ll be the first one hit."

From maor ben yair's testimony: "There were about 200-300 people hiding there. At first, I saw five or seven people. When the military coordinator came, suddenly, everyone left. It's amazing to see how many people were hiding there. And there was only one military coordinator there with a gun."

From Naomi Lorbert's testimony: "Do or die, I have to get out of here."

From Jhonatan ben naim's testimony: "The team from Shlomit, 15 km from us, did not have to come. They did it with a huge heart. People I owe my life to and the life of my family." | "Then I said: How do I kill them all? You know who everyone is, not the terrorists, without them feeling it." | "On the other hand, there was some sort of calm. There was no fear; there was nothing. Some kind of inner knowledge that it will end well" | "I thought all hope was last. Suddenly, there was silence. The fire did not light; the ignition fuse did not explode, and there was silence.""

From Shalhevet Cohen's testimony: "We miraculously survived thanks to the vigilance of many parties who were in the area."

From Michaela Kortsky's testimony: ""The mission for me was above all else.""

From Hagay Charnis's testimony: "I say to Lital: " He's been shot in the head!""

Raymond Reijnen from Nahal Oz: "We built everything in the 6 years we’re here. This is my place this is my Refet"

Vered Corinne: "We were just waiting for them to come and save us, and they didn't arrive".

Marlene Moszkowicz: "We wait now for the hostages to be released, reminds me of when I too waited."

".Assaf Bavli's testimony: "I was not trained to be with the girls, I was trained to go out to fight

Vered Shelhav, Nahal Oz: "Just as it happened to them, it could have been us"

."From the testimony of Ariel Frenkel: ""I have holes in my memory that I can't explain

From Bar Goren's testimony: "We are trying, as much as possible to keep our sanity"

From Barry Meirovitch’s testimony: “The situation wasn’t good. Lots of terrorists inside the kibbutz”

From Ofir Maman’s testimony: “We just didn’t breathe”

Irene Repuela, Oct. 7, Kibbutz Kissufim - "I couldn't live if my employer was dead and I'm alive"

From the testimony of Jaqueline Gliksman: "I asked: God tell me what to do"

From Daniel Rahamim's testimony: "We are in a critical situation, there are terrorists here."

"The smell, the quantities, and the sights there were hard" - Oren Laufer on the rescue from Nova on 7.10

"I realized that I didn't know if we would ever get out of there" - Kapustiansky family testimony

".From Arbel Shauli's testimony: "Sapir and Karin I have not seen since

From the testimony of Siobhan Rachamim: "Our son is alone. Three children. Please go to them."

Miki from Nahal Oz: "I realize where we stand; we are going to die here."

From Nurit Fiorentino's testimony: "And they fought under fire, live, in front of my eyes."

Shani Kiniso: “My mother wrote: Please come and rescue us, we can't stand it anymore.” Oct 7, Be’eri

From the testimony of Eyal Barad from Nir Oz: I Put a hand over her mouth, because we must be quiet

From Simon Baum's testimony: "Part of me died that day."

Dafna Yaron' testimony: "Why is nobody coming? Why aren't they rescuing us? Why is there no army?"

Raif and Rada recall: "His eyes were sparkling. Why? What for? She begged you not to kill her."

They didn't know that there were 3,000-4,000 people in actual danger of their lives - Matar Belzer

I'm not proud of killing a terrorist, I'm proud of defending my home. - Ayal Young

“And that’s when a battle between my grandma and the terrorists ensued. They’re trying to open the door and grandma’s fighting them” - Achinoam Danzig Lichtman

I did not understand the seriousness of the event - Brouria Carni Hadass

She felt that it could have been us, just like it was them. - Vered Shelhav

Your friends are injured, and you need to detach emotionally and function. - Dudi Rabi

The iron scars will remain with everyone who experienced the Shabbat in October; we must deal with them. - Dany Zernitsky

Everyone came and left with weapons and were alert and tense. You could feel it in the air. - Yaell Malka

Three hundred bodies on the road, all around, people shot still inside the vehicle, bodies... and no one is here - Lina Orlov, Rotem Yaakobi

I understood that they were aiming for my head. If the balloon hadn't been there, it would have hit my head. - Idan Caspi

Everywhere there are terrorists - Oranit Fahima

Nofar Gahali: "No one prepares you-not for this pain, nor for the scenarios you saw there"

“Everything was out, the bedroom, the kitchen. I looked at the living room and saw that they had broken the window there and came through it. I “flew” back to the safe room”. - Laura Lotem Chezes

“I said to the guy: "listen, I’m going to get the car and evacuate casualties. He said: “go, your a hero”” - Tali Hadad

“I heard the fighting outside, I received calls that the Kibbutz was crawling with terrorists.” - Refael Samet

We were next in line. - Miri Giter

To say thank you for being alive. - Rafi Hirschfeld

I felt that we were being abandoned. I felt they were not there. That there is no one to turn to. Also now there is no one to turn to. - Omer Metzger

We have never smelled this before. It was the smell of war, the smell of death, the smell of hell. - Shuki Joshua Edri

It was a tense silence. You didn't hear anything. It was as if nothing existed. - Paola Judith Frenkel

Yes, the terrorist shot the dog, and the entire path was covered with blood - CARMELA MICHEL

My whole life has prepared me to survive, now! - Daniel Dvir