Idan family

Three children orphaned from their parents

Idan family

Photojournalist Roy Idan had time to send a photo of terrorists on parachutes penetrating Kfar Aza prior to finding his wife dead. He was then killed while trying to protect his children Abigail (3), who and was later abducted to Gaza, and Amalia (6) and Michael (9) who hid in a closet for 12 hours before being rescued.

Idan family

Three children orphaned from their parents

Idan family

Minute by Minute Circle
06:29
~06:32
~06:35
~06:38
~06:39
~06:40
~06:45
~06:50
~10:55
~19:20

The sequence of events

Minute by Minute

Click on the points on the timeline for a real-time tour. Clicking on the icons will display the event documentation.

06:29

Upon hearing the "Color Red" alert, Roy steps outside to take photographs

~06:32

Roy records terrorists arriving on the Kibbutz via parachutes

~06:35

Smadar is murdered in the safe room

~06:38

Roy is murdered holding his youngest daughter Abigail in his arms

~06:39

Michael and Amalia flee back to the safe room

~06:40

Abigail runs away from home and seeks shelter

~06:45

Abigail arrives at Broadach family home

~06:50

The brothers hide in a closet in safe room

~10:55

Abigail is abducted to Gaza with Broadach family

~19:20

IDF forces arrive to rescue Amalia and Michael

Exit Media
Exit Media

While Smadar and her three children enter their safe room, Roy, the father of the family who works as a Ynet photojournalist, sets out to document the rocket barrage. Roy arrives at the fence of the kibbutz which overlooks the Gaza Strip and takes photographs of the Iron Dome intercepts.

Exit Media
Roy photographs Iron Dome's rocket intercepts
Roy photographs Iron Dome's rocket intercepts Photo: Roy Idan, ynet
Exit Media

Through his camera lens, Roy sees three motorized parachutes on their way directly to the Kibbutz and immediately sends this video footage to the Ynet newsroom. He updates the Kibbutz' Ravshatz Shahar Aviani, and quickly runs home to his family.

Exit Media
Roy Idan's last photo - a terrorist lands on the kibbutz using a parachute
Roy Idan's last photo - a terrorist lands on the kibbutz using a parachute Photo: Roy Idan, ynet
Exit Media
    • Disable
    Roy documents three terrorists on paragliders, on their way to the Kibbutz Photo: Roy Idan, ynet
    Exit Media

    A group of terrorists arrive at the courtyard of the family's home. One of them shoots through the window and murders Smadar in front of her three children.

    Exit Media
      • Disable
      The bed in the safe room where Samdar was murdered by terrorist gunfire Photo: Yaron Brenner, ynet
      Exit Media

      Roi arrives at the safe room in his house only to find his wife, Samdar, dead. He picks his daughter Abigail up and runs outside along with his two other children Michael and Amalia. Waiting on the path leading to their house, a terrorist dressed in an IDF uniform shoots and murders Roy, still holding Abigail in his arms. The terrorist signals with his hand to the other children to run away.

      Exit Media

      The siblings see their father fall to the ground with Abigail in his arms. They run back home to hide inside the safe room thinking their little sister was murdered with their father. They call their grandparents and immediately tell them what they had witnessed: “Daddy is dead. Mom's dead. Abigail is dead.”

      Exit Media

      Abigail crawls from under her father's body, soaked in his blood and runs away. She walks through the kibbutz and knocks on the doors of some of her kindergarten friends homes. After several attempts she arrives at the Broadach family home where Uriah, her best friend from kindergarten, lives.

      Exit Media

      A moment before leaving his home to join the emergency squad and already dressed in IDF uniform, Avichai Broadach opens the fornt door of his home to the sound of Abigail's knocking. Noticing Avichai wearing the uniform, Abigail panics fearing he is another terrorist and starts running away. Avichai pursues her, tries to calm her down and hands Abigail over to his wife in their safe room. She takes care of her, cleans her of her father's blood and hears her account of what had just happened at her house.

      Exit Media

      Siblings Michael and Amalia call Magen David Adom hotline for help. Their call is relayed to an emergency mental therapist who continues to talk with them for nearly 12 hours straight.

      Exit Media
        • Disable
        The wardrobe in which Amalia and Michael hide for hours Photo: Yaron Brenner, ynet
        Exit Media

        Terrorists enter the Broadach family's home. Hagar turns the safe room light off and holds the door handle from within. The four children hide together under a blanket. At the end of a brief struggle over the safe room door handle, Hagar surrenders. About 15 terrorists stand by. She shouts to the terrorists: “They're just children!" she yells, "I don't want them to be harmed". The children come out from under the blanket, crying and screaming. The terrorists take Hagar's car keys, force her and the children inside the vehicle, and embark on a wild drive towards the Gaza Strip.

        Exit Media

        After approximately 12 hours during which Michael and Amalia are hiding in a closet in a safe room, and talk nonstop with the emergency caregiver, special forces directed by members of the extended Idan family arrive to rescue the siblings.

        Exit Media
          • Disable
          The phone call between Michael and Amalia and the rescuers and their uncle Amit at the moments of rescue From “Will Be Good”

          The Day After

          10/20/2023

          Roy and Samdar Idan are laid to rest

          11/26/2023

          Abigail is freed from captivity
          Exit Media

          Roy and Samdar Idan are laid to rest side by side at the cemetery in moshav Kfar HaRif.

          Exit Media
          Roi and Samdar Idan Roi and Samdar Idan Photo: Shay Maklouf
          Exit Media

          Abigail returns from captivity along with the Broadach family and reunites with her brothers Michael and Amalia. The three siblings are adopted by their aunt Liron Mor, her husband Zoli and their children.

          Exit Media
          Abigail with her aunt Liron mor upon her return from captivity Abigail with her aunt Liron mor upon her return from captivity Photo: Schneider Hospital spokesmanship
          Exit Image
          Exit Media