Manny and Ayelet Godard from Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7 | Kan 7.10.360

As the Red Alert sirens echo through Be’eri, Manny (73) and Ayelet (63) Godard retreat into their home’s safe room. They exchange messages with their children—Mor, Gal, Bar, and Goni—who all also live in the kibbutz, checking that everyone is safe. Around 6:45 a.m., dozens of terrorists storm Be’eri, and within half an hour, they gather near the "Olives" Neighborhood in the kibbutz’s western section, where Manny and Ayelet live

Terrorists reach Manny and Ayelet’s home and set it ablaze. The couple flees their safe room, but the terrorists open fire, killing Manny. Ayelet remains unhurt. She manages to call their daughter, Mor, crying, “They shot Manny—he’s dead, he’s dead,” before saying she doesn’t know where to go. Moments later, she finds shelter among the bushes outside their house

While hiding in the bushes, Ayelet calls Magen David Adom, pleading for help. She explains that she and her husband fled their home after terrorists set it ablaze, adding, “Manny is dead—my husband was killed.” The dispatcher urges her to reach a nearby house and take shelter close to a safe room, but Ayelet replies, “I can’t move—they’ll shoot me.”

Ayelet continues to seek help. She calls Racheli Bankot, head of the kibbutz emergency response team, and tells her that Manny has been murdered. His body, she says, lies beside her as she hides in the bushes. Racheli pleads with her to take cover in a nearby house, but Ayelet replies, “I can’t move—I’m well hidden.”

The terrorists load Manny’s body into a vehicle and abduct him into the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, from her hiding place, Ayelet continues messaging her family and friends on WhatsApp

At 11:51 a.m., Ayelet messages her family: “In the bushes. My battery is about to die.” About fifteen minutes later, she sends another message, and from that moment, all contact with her is lost. It is presumed that she was murdered by terrorists shortly afterward

Goni Godard (23), Manny and Ayelet's son, fears for his parents’ lives. Aware that terrorists are roaming the kibbutz, he decides to search for them anyway. He pulls a white shirt over his face, hoping the terrorists will mistake him for one of their own, and pedals with his bicycle toward his parents’ home. On the way, an armed terrorist aims his rifle at him but then lowers it, letting him pass. Goni reaches the Olives Neighborhood, where he sees bodies scattered along the paths, and steps into his parents' ruined house. The safe room door is shattered. He enters the bedroom and realizes his parents are gone. He than locks himself in the bathroom and sends farewell messages to his friends and family

By early afternoon, heavy exchanges of fire break out between security forces and the terrorists in the kibbutz, particularly around the Olives Neighborhood. Hearing the fighting, Goni gazes through the bathroom window to see what’s happening. Around 3:30 p.m., he spots soldiers, recognizes they’re speaking Hebrew, and calls out to them. They notice him and exchange a few words, explaining that the battle is still underway and that they will rescue him soon

Soldiers rescue Goni from the house and escort him to a point where residents are being gathered. Later, they evacuate him from the kibbutz. He travels to Tel Aviv, where he reunites with his sister, Mor