07:58Residents of the Kibbutz Be'eri near the Gaza Strip, which came under attack on October 7, 2023, recalled the morning of the tragedy on Monday, two weeks ahead of the one-year anniversary.
"We were in our bed, and then our alarms started off, and we closed the door and went to the shelter room," shared Dotan Nave. He added that they did not know about the seriousness of the attack and 'stayed in darkness for 19 hours'.
"We were hoping that the military would come soon and resolve the situation. But, as time progressed, we realised that it was not the case. Three hours later, we realised that the military was not coming and we were just left to defend ourselves," he continued.
He added that Hamas militants had surrounded the Kibbuz: "As you can see, the burnt houses and the signs of the people that died in the houses," he said.
Another resident, Yuval Haran, whose relatives were taken captive on October 7, declared that 'life was frozen' on that date.
"My family, they don't have any weapons, they don't have anything they can use to defend themselves. They were just, the grandparents with the grandchildren, and you know, children celebrating the holiday," he shared
Haran explained that when militants attacked Kibbutz, his father and brother-in-law 'realised in a split-second decision that all they could do to try and save the children was to give up.'
"The most important thing is to release them (the hostages). All the rest we can solve after. There will be time. They don't have time," Haran added, highlighting that he cannot know if 'they're getting water or food' and whether they 'have air to breathe'.
He urged the government and the people to remember those still held captive: "And if you care about humans, care about them. Help us bring them back. Bringing them back will help resolve everything."
According to media reports, Yuval Haran's father, Avshalom Haran, was killed while his brother-in-law Tal Shoham remains in Gaza.
Kibbutz Be'eri was home to 1,000 people, with over 100 people killed during the October 7 attack. The settlement located on the border with the Gaza Strip, was the first to be hit.
In July 2024, Israel's military published an investigation into the attack, claiming that 340 militants attacked while 26 members of a local self-defence unit, assisted by local residents, fought back.
Fighting erupted between Israel and Hamas in Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian group launched the unprecedented attack on southern Israel, killing 1,139 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200, according to Israeli officials.
Israel launched a large-scale response of airstrikes and a ground incursion in the enclave. Palestinian officials reported that 41,455 people had been killed and more than 95,878 injured at the time of publication.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that Hamas locations and infrastructure were targeted in the response. However, United Nations experts warned against 'collective punishment' for the people of Gaza, before predicting a 'humanitarian crisis' and then claimed that 'hell is settling in' for the region.
‘We were just left to defend ourselves’ - Survivors of October 7 Hamas attack in Kibbutz Be'eri reflect ahead of one-year anniversary
Residents of the Kibbutz Be'eri near the Gaza Strip, which came under attack on October 7, 2023, recalled the morning of the tragedy on Monday, two weeks ahead of the one-year anniversary.
"We were in our bed, and then our alarms started off, and we closed the door and went to the shelter room," shared Dotan Nave. He added that they did not know about the seriousness of the attack and 'stayed in darkness for 19 hours'.
"We were hoping that the military would come soon and resolve the situation. But, as time progressed, we realised that it was not the case. Three hours later, we realised that the military was not coming and we were just left to defend ourselves," he continued.
He added that Hamas militants had surrounded the Kibbuz: "As you can see, the burnt houses and the signs of the people that died in the houses," he said.
Another resident, Yuval Haran, whose relatives were taken captive on October 7, declared that 'life was frozen' on that date.
"My family, they don't have any weapons, they don't have anything they can use to defend themselves. They were just, the grandparents with the grandchildren, and you know, children celebrating the holiday," he shared
Haran explained that when militants attacked Kibbutz, his father and brother-in-law 'realised in a split-second decision that all they could do to try and save the children was to give up.'
"The most important thing is to release them (the hostages). All the rest we can solve after. There will be time. They don't have time," Haran added, highlighting that he cannot know if 'they're getting water or food' and whether they 'have air to breathe'.
He urged the government and the people to remember those still held captive: "And if you care about humans, care about them. Help us bring them back. Bringing them back will help resolve everything."
According to media reports, Yuval Haran's father, Avshalom Haran, was killed while his brother-in-law Tal Shoham remains in Gaza.
Kibbutz Be'eri was home to 1,000 people, with over 100 people killed during the October 7 attack. The settlement located on the border with the Gaza Strip, was the first to be hit.
In July 2024, Israel's military published an investigation into the attack, claiming that 340 militants attacked while 26 members of a local self-defence unit, assisted by local residents, fought back.
Fighting erupted between Israel and Hamas in Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian group launched the unprecedented attack on southern Israel, killing 1,139 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200, according to Israeli officials.
Israel launched a large-scale response of airstrikes and a ground incursion in the enclave. Palestinian officials reported that 41,455 people had been killed and more than 95,878 injured at the time of publication.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that Hamas locations and infrastructure were targeted in the response. However, United Nations experts warned against 'collective punishment' for the people of Gaza, before predicting a 'humanitarian crisis' and then claimed that 'hell is settling in' for the region.
Residents of the Kibbutz Be'eri near the Gaza Strip, which came under attack on October 7, 2023, recalled the morning of the tragedy on Monday, two weeks ahead of the one-year anniversary.
"We were in our bed, and then our alarms started off, and we closed the door and went to the shelter room," shared Dotan Nave. He added that they did not know about the seriousness of the attack and 'stayed in darkness for 19 hours'.
"We were hoping that the military would come soon and resolve the situation. But, as time progressed, we realised that it was not the case. Three hours later, we realised that the military was not coming and we were just left to defend ourselves," he continued.
He added that Hamas militants had surrounded the Kibbuz: "As you can see, the burnt houses and the signs of the people that died in the houses," he said.
Another resident, Yuval Haran, whose relatives were taken captive on October 7, declared that 'life was frozen' on that date.
"My family, they don't have any weapons, they don't have anything they can use to defend themselves. They were just, the grandparents with the grandchildren, and you know, children celebrating the holiday," he shared
Haran explained that when militants attacked Kibbutz, his father and brother-in-law 'realised in a split-second decision that all they could do to try and save the children was to give up.'
"The most important thing is to release them (the hostages). All the rest we can solve after. There will be time. They don't have time," Haran added, highlighting that he cannot know if 'they're getting water or food' and whether they 'have air to breathe'.
He urged the government and the people to remember those still held captive: "And if you care about humans, care about them. Help us bring them back. Bringing them back will help resolve everything."
According to media reports, Yuval Haran's father, Avshalom Haran, was killed while his brother-in-law Tal Shoham remains in Gaza.
Kibbutz Be'eri was home to 1,000 people, with over 100 people killed during the October 7 attack. The settlement located on the border with the Gaza Strip, was the first to be hit.
In July 2024, Israel's military published an investigation into the attack, claiming that 340 militants attacked while 26 members of a local self-defence unit, assisted by local residents, fought back.
Fighting erupted between Israel and Hamas in Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian group launched the unprecedented attack on southern Israel, killing 1,139 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200, according to Israeli officials.
Israel launched a large-scale response of airstrikes and a ground incursion in the enclave. Palestinian officials reported that 41,455 people had been killed and more than 95,878 injured at the time of publication.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that Hamas locations and infrastructure were targeted in the response. However, United Nations experts warned against 'collective punishment' for the people of Gaza, before predicting a 'humanitarian crisis' and then claimed that 'hell is settling in' for the region.