Yoel Berger and Marina Almagor
Ronen Avisror, an amateur photographer, went out on Saturday morning to capture the sunrise but found himself documenting terrorists infiltrating Netiv HaAsara using paragliders. While seeking refuge and hiding from them, he passed through three different shelters
Terrorists on motorized paragliders in the skies of Netiv HaAsara. Photo: Ronen Avisror
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Ronen Abisrour (56), a resident of Moshav Netiv HaAsara, has survived two brain strokes and has been undergoing medical rehabilitation in recent years. As part of his recovery, he often photographs the landscapes of the Western Negev Desert. On Saturday morning, he set out in his vehicle with a camera to capture the sunrise at Zikim Beach. When the moshav's gate didn't open, he waited, wondering, “How will I get to the beach?”.
As the alerts in the moshav started, Ronen entered a nearby shelter by the moshav's entrance gate and captured a picture of rockets and their interceptions. At the same time, his wife and two children entered the designated safe room in their home.
While the rocket barrages continued, Ronen stepped out of the shelter and noticed several aircraft in the sky. He began filming them and soon realized they were terrorists using paragliders to raid the moshav. He immediately called his neighbor, Amnon Ziv, an Ashkelon Beach Regional Council staff member, who warned him not to return home.
Ronen concluded terrorists were raiding the moshav from the air. He decided to flee from the residential area and drove towards a nearby cemetery, where he entered a designated public shelter. However, it quickly became clear the terrorists could see him, prompting him to flee north to a local greenhouse complex, where he found refuge in another designated public shelter.
When the area appeared free of terrorists, Ronen tried to film the scenery outside the shelter. However, the footage came out blurry, and he realized it was because his legs were trembling. He sat on the ground and practiced breathing exercises and guided imagery to calm himself. After regaining his composure, he took two more photos, he then sat in complete silence, aware that any sound made might reveal his presence.
A friend of Ronen, also a resident of Netiv HaAsara, had gone to work in the same greenhouse complex just before the rocket barrages began. Around 8:00 a.m., he noticed Ronen sheltering in the public shelter and urged him, 'Come with me.' Together, they fled to another shelter inside the complex’s offices, where they stayed for many hours. Half an hour later, Ronen and his wife updated each other on their safety status over WhatsApp.
A rescue team evacuated Ronen and his friend from the greenhouse complex back to his moshav, where security forces were present, escorting him safely to his home. Along the way, Ronen took more pictures of the devastation around him, capturing scenes of fire, destruction, and chaos in the region.
Ronen, his wife, and their children temporarily left their moshav and were welcomed by a host family in the safer region of Kibbutz Maagan Michael.
Ronen, his wife, and their children move to a house in Herzliya.
המתחם האינטראקטיבי של מפת העוטף ב-7 באוקטובר 2023 נועד לתעד ולהנציח את האירועים שהתרחשו ביישובי עוטף עזה באמצעות תיעודים מזמן אמת, דקה אחר דקה.
הפרויקט בהליכי בנייה ותחקיר, בשלבים הבאים יתווספו נקודות רבות על המפה, לרבות בסיסי צה”ל, הרחבת אזורי המסיבות והדרכים המובילות לעוטף.
לפרטים נוספים וליצירת קשר לחצו כאן
אזהרה: התוכן מכיל תיאורים ותיעודים קשים לצפייה
