The Segal Family From Kibbutz Kissufim: October 7 | Kan 7.10.360

As red alerts pierce the air, Rachel Segal (64) and her daughters, Amit (37) and Sivan (39), wake with a jolt and rush to the safe room. Amit and Sivan, who live in Beersheba, are visiting their mother for the holiday.

As alarms and explosions continue, messages flood the kibbutz's WhatsApp groups, warning of a terrorist infiltration. Inside the safe room, Rachel locks the door. The three women sit in tense anticipation, convinced it is a limited incursion that the IDF will soon neutralize and expecting an announcement that the danger has passed.

Rachel and her daughters hear gunfire from the neighboring Mansour family home as terrorists storm it, violently forcing Shlomo and Mazal Mansour outside at gunpoint. The terrorists handcuff 86-year-old Shlomo and abduct him to Gaza while Mazal manages to escape. She runs to Rachel’s house, shouting, “They’ve kidnapped Shlomo!”. Recognizing her voice, Rachel opens the door. Mazal initially refuses to enter, desperate to go after her husband, but Rachel and Sivan forcibly pull her inside, locking the door behind them

While Rachel, her daughters, and Mazal remain barricaded inside the safe room, terrorists break into the house and occupy it for hours. It was later revealed that the house had served as one of the terrorists' temporary headquarters in the kibbutz during the attack

As they barricade themselves inside, the four women hear relentless gunfire, accompanied by laughter and curses hurled at them from beyond the door. The terrorists spend hours trying to coax them out, falsely assuring them they will not be killed. At the same time, they repeatedly fire at the safe room door and attempt to blow it open, but fail. By noon, the kibbutz loses electricity, cutting off all communication. Despite the ordeal, the women stay vigilant, sustained by the water bottles Rachel had stored in the safe room

Around midnight, the four women hear the rumble of tanks, explosions, and soldiers shouting in Hebrew. They contact the head of the local emergency team, pleading for help. They are assured that a rescue attempt will be made, but until then, they remain locked in the safe room, trying to rest as they wait.

Rachel, her daughters, and Mazal are jolted awake by knocking at the door, followed by a voice calling in Hebrew, “Is anyone here?” Hesitantly, they open the door to find IDF soldiers alongside Ido Ofri, a combat officer and a fellow kibbutz resident. Overcome with relief, they embrace the soldiers, who inform them they must leave immediately, as the house contains terrorists' weapons. Gathering a few essential belongings, they exit the house. The forces escort them to the kibbutz gate, where they join other residents before being transferred to the Beit Kama junction. Amit and Sivan return to their homes in Beersheba, while Rachel relocates to the Dead Sea with other evacuated kibbutz members