The barrage that Saturday was especially long. We were all in the safe room, and the children were sitting on a blanket I had laid out between the bed and the closet, as far away from the window as possible. I covered them with a blanket, even though at that stage, I didn’t realize that aside for the rockets, terrorists had infiltrated the kibbutz.

Within a few seconds, we started to hear shooting, and I remember thinking that it is very strange that there were both red alert sirens and gunfire near the border. The shooting sounded very close, as if it was just outside our window. I left the safe room to bring our dogs into the house, though they refused to come into the safe room, and to bring us some food and water. I came out a few more times to check on them, and realized that the shutters on the living room window were a bit closed, and that the screen had moved. I had the feeling that someone had tried to come into the house, and might have been scared off by the dogs and left. I debated whether to try and bring the dogs into the safe room anyway. In hindsight, it’s good that I didn’t because it would have taken time, and I probably would have been hurt.

The terrorists shot the door and windows, broke into the house, and started shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’.

One of the members of the rapid response squad sent a message in the group Whatsapp that there were terrorists in the area of the clinic, and telling us to lock our houses and not open the door for anyone. A few seconds passed and then we heard loud sounds of gunfire inside the house. The terrorists had shot the door and windows, broke into the house, and started shouting Allahu Akbar. It felt like there was a group of terrorists inside the house. (The children) were terrified and started crying and covering themselves with the blanket, refusing to take it off. There was a point where I begged them to take the blanket off occasionally, because they were red and I was afraid they would suffocate.

We were trapped in the safe room from 6:30 in the morning until 19:30. When the army came to rescue us, we were very afraid to open the door. My daughter screamed and begged us not to open, she was certain the terrorists who had come back to kill us. When we eventually opened the door, the lovely soldier looked her in the eyes and apologized for scaring her. He explained that they had come to save us and asked us to hurry, because there was fighting outside, terrorists, and rockets.

The hardest part is before they go to bed; they’re afraid the terrorists will come back to kill them while they are sleeping.

We are all traumatized. The children and dogs flinch at any little noise. My partner was among those who went around with the soldiers and collected body parts of the residents. He saw beloved friends of ours, some shot all over their bodies, others burnt alive, and it’s very hard on him. During the day, the children are in their activities and with their friends from the kibbutz. The hardest part is before they go to bed; they’re afraid the terrorists will come back to kill them while they are sleeping. My daughter keeps asking me, “Mommy, why did they kill Tamar? And why did they kill her children? And why did they kill Johnny? He was so nice and made us laugh so much.” (The Kedem-Siman Tov family from Nir Oz who was viciously murdered in their homes). She also asks if her friend who was murdered suffered before she was killed, and is very worried about Yuval Engel, her friend from the kibbutz, who was kidnapped.

It’s hard to be a mother in this situation. I don’t want to cry next to the children, and it’s difficult hiding my tears when all day long I remember the people I knew and loved who were murdered and kidnapped.

Dorin R.

Source – Ynet

The door of Dorin’s family’s home – filled with bullet holes

The house after the terrorist invasion

This story was first published on october7.org.