Philip and Shirley Cohen from Kissufim on October 7 | Kan 7.10.360

As rocket barrages from the Gaza Strip erupt, Philip Cohen, manager of the avocado groves in Kissufim, retreats to the safe room with his daughter Emma (16), his son Liam (13), and their dog, Bonnie. His wife, Shirly, is out on a group cycling session and, upon hearing the sirens, takes shelter in a roadside public shelter near Shuva Junction. Their older children, Yehonatan (22) and Idan (20), both soldiers, are in their respective apartments in the kibbutz. The night before the attack, the entire family had reunited for the first time in a long while, gathering for a holiday dinner at the home of their grandparents, Suzy and Rafi Semet, who also live in the kibbutz

As the sirens blare, reports begin to emerge of terrorist infiltrations into local communities. Philip is responsible for managing the Thai workers employed in the kibbutz. He calls to check on them and reassures them. Simultaneously, he retrieves his pistol from his vault. He calls his sons, Idan and Yehonatan, instructing them to stay where they are. Shirly calls to update him: she is in a roadside shelter near Shuva, and gunshot victims have begun to arrive at the scene

Idan, son of Shirly and Philip, who is also an active soldier, is shot by terrorists while escaping his home to the neighborhood's local public shelter. He then escapes to his grandparents’ house. Grandfather Rafi, the kibbutz’s ambulance driver and medic, is also shot in the hand by terrorists. The two shelter together in the safe room with grandmother Suzy, and their condition is stable. Meanwhile, Shirly realizes the shelter she is in is not secure. Her cycling coach evacuates her and the rest of the group to the "Tara" factory in the industrial zone near Netivot, where they lock themselves inside

Philip hears the sound of gunfire drawing closer to his home. He receives updates from Shirly, who tells him that in other nearby kibbutz's, homes are being set ablaze and residents kidnapped. He instructs Emma and Liam to securely lock the safe room door from the inside using an iron bar. Then he steps out and hides in his house's hallway, pistol in hand, ready to engage in fighting. As he approaches the window, he sees a man dressed in an IDF uniform. The man turns to him, smiles, and then opens fire. At the same moment, a second terrorist tries to force the house's door open, while a third attempts to smash the window and climb through. One of them throws an explosive device near Philip’s feet, but he manages to shelter behind a wall just in time and remains unharmed. He waits for the terrorists by the front door with his loaded pistol, but they move on to another house. Philip informs Shirly and the local emergency response team (Tzachi) that the terrorists have headed south

Philip uses a lull in the gunfire to check on his family. Yehonatan and Idan report that they are safe, and Shirly informs him that she is in Netivot. Philip then returns to the safe room and manages to fall asleep for an hour

Kibbutz Kissufim is left cut off from electricity, communication, or cellular reception. While Philip feels reassured about his family, he grows increasingly concerned for the Thai workers, with whom he has been unable to make contact. He also fears for the fate of his colleague, Itay Zak, who remains unreachable

An IDF tank positions itself near Philip’s home and fires shells and automatic bursts

After an entire night in the safe room, Philip wakes and steps outside for a cigarette. He surveys the widespread destruction in the kibbutz and begins clearing the debris at his home caused by the blast from the device that the terrorists had activated. Assuming the ordeal is over, he joins a few neighbors, and they chat on the lawn between the houses—until suddenly, heavy gunfire erupts from several directions. Realizing the kibbutz is not yet clear of terrorists, they each flee back to the safe room in their homes.

Soldiers arrive and evacuate the family in an armoured jeep. Along the way, Philip and his children witness the devastation and begin to comprehend the magnitude of what had happened in the kibbutz.

As they leave the kibbutz, cellular reception is restored. Philip suddenly receives hundreds of accumulated messages and begins catching up on news about his loved ones. He learns that Idan has been hospitalized at Soroka Hospital, that Shirly has already arrived there from Netivot, and that his other son, Yehonatan, was evacuated during the night—but chose to return to the entrance of Kissufim to find out what had become of his family

Philip and his children are evacuated by a family member to the Beit Kama Junction. Along the way, they are confronted with harrowing sights—bodies and charred vehicles strewn along the roadside. From there, like the rest of the evacuated kibbutz members, they continue on to the Dead Sea. Upon his arrival, Philip receives the devastating news that six Thai workers have been murdered, along with his friend and colleague, Itay Zak, who was killed in his home together with his wife Eti, their son Sagiv, and their dog.