Zion Levy at Mivtahim Junction on October 7 | Kan 7.10.360

Zion Levy (72), a bus driver from Moshav Dekel and a longtime farmer, wakes early as usual, with a busy day ahead. It is his eldest son Yaniv’s birthday, and later that evening—after the holiday ends—he plans to drive friends in his bus to the Simchat Torah festivities in Jerusalem. But first, he sets out from his home in Moshav Dekel to collect two Thai workers from the nearby Moshav Mivtahim and take them to work in his son’s garden. Zion arrives at Mivtahim, picks up the two workers, and begins the drive back to Dekel

On their way, rocket fire erupts from Gaza. At their home in Moshav Dekel, Zion’s wife, Ziona, awakens and rushes with their eldest son, Yaniv, into the safe room. She tries calling Zion, but her calls go unanswered. Their other son, Ziv, who also lives in the moshav, takes shelter with his wife and children in their home’s safe room. The couple’s two daughters, Shira and Hadas, are both abroad

Ziona calls Zion again, who by now has already arrived at their son Yaniv’s house with the workers. She urges him to take shelter with them inside the safe room, but Zion responds: “Ziona, I’m not afraid of rockets. You have to come outside and see how magnificent the Iron Dome interceptions are.”

Zion calls Ziona to inform her that due to the intense rocket fire, he is taking the workers back to their residence in Moshav Mivtahim. On the other end of the line, Ziona hears him telling the workers, “There’s no work today.” This is the last conversation the Levy couple will ever share. Zion and the workers set out as rockets continue to fall around them

Zion drops off the two workers at their residence in Mivtahim, says goodbye, and begins the drive back home to Moshav Dekel

The Ravshatz (Military Ongoing Security Coordinator) of Yishuv Tzohar, Chaim Ben Hamo, heads to refuel his vehicle with his deputy, Maor Turgeman. While at the gas station in Moshav Ami’oz, Maor films the rocket barrage—and through his camera lens, Zion’s vehicle is inadvertently captured as it passes on the road across from them

Zion reaches the Mivtahim junction, turns left, and 150 meters down the road falls into an ambush set by Nukhba terrorists. He is shot in the chest—three bullets fired at close range. After murdering him, the terrorists continue toward the junction and press on with their killing spree

The local emergency team informs the residents of Moshav Dekel that terrorists have infiltrated Israel. Zion’s family desperately tries to reach him, but all contact has been lost. They turn to every possible source for help but to no avail. Ziona also contacts Moshe Ben Avi, a friend of Zion’s from Moshav Mivtahim, who had connected him with the Thai workers. Moshe tells her that he is also searching for his daughter, Chen Ben Avi, who went to the Nova music festival. He adds that the Thai workers Zion had picked up made it home safely. Later, Moshe learns that his daughter was murdered in a car alongside four of her friends—at the very junction where Zion was murdered

Moshe Ben Avi sets out in search of his daughter, Chen. He reaches the Mivtahim junction, but security forces at the scene prevent him from approaching the convoy of the abandoned vehicles. From a distance, he spots his daughter’s car—as well as Zion’s. He immediately updates Ziona. Later that day, the regional council’s emergency center notified the family that Zion’s phone was located “north of Mivtahim.” This is the only piece of information they receive about him

Reserve soldiers arrive at the Mivtahim junction. They find Zion’s body inside his vehicle and transfer him to the Ma’on junction, and from there to the Shura military base