Nitza Hefetz and Camille Jesalva

A thousand shekels in exchange for life

Nitza Hefetz and Camille Jesalva

When a terrorist entered the home of 95-year-old Nitza Hefetz, her nanny Camille Jesalva from the Philippines, was certain they were going to die. Her resourcefulness saved their lives - she offered him all the money she had in her purse - 1,000 shekels. The terrorist took the money and left the house.

Nitza Hefetz and Camille Jesalva. From the “Evening News,” Kan 11

A thousand shekels in exchange for life

Nitza Hefetz and Camille Jesalva

Minute by Minute Circle
06:30
07:40
07:59
~08:10
~08:20
~08:40
10:47
~13:00
14:00
16:00

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.

06:30

Red Color Alarms

07:40

“Nimrod, there's someone in the house! “

07:59

Shooting outside the house, burning the window

~08:10

Terrorists come in and out of the house

~08:20

Camille leaves the safe room and notices the open window

~08:40

“Send me the picture of my son 'cause I'm going to die.”

10:47

A terrorist approaches the safe room

“Sir, do you want money? “

~13:00

Camille promises Nitza that she will not leave her

14:00

Rescue Arrives

16:00

Camille and Nitza reach the club safely

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Camille and Nitza wake up from the alarms. Camille is already familiar with the course of action and she moves Nitza in the safe room. After about five minutes, she realizes that this is no ordinary event

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Kamil first realizes that there are terrorists inside the house. At first she thinks it is the army, but then she hears that they are speaking in Arabic. They go through the whole house but don't enter the safe room

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Nitza's house after terrorists left it
Nitza's house after terrorists left it
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Nitza's house after terrorists left it
Nitza's house after terrorists left it
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An audio recording Camille sends to Nimrod, son of Nitza
00:00
00:00
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In the WhatsApp groups of foreign nannies, reports of the terrorist infiltration begin to arrive. Camille thinks everything will be fine, she even brings Nitza cookies from the kitchen so she doesn't get hungry. But then she hears gunshots outside the house and sees fire through the window. She manages to take a picture of her going into the safe room

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    Camille films the fire outside the house
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    Correspondence in the WhatsApp group of nannies in kibbutz Nirim
    Sanjay
    Lock the doors and windows in the house. There is a fear of infiltration
    07:59 07/10/2023
    Sanjay
    (transfer)
    [forwarded] Good morning-please close all the doors and stay in the safe room. There is an attack on the south and the center of Israel and terrorists trying to enter settlements
    07:59 07/10/2023
    Nanny from the kibbutz
    😭
    07:59 07/10/2023
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    Nitza falls asleep. During this time Camille hears more terrorists entering the house again. She sends a video to her family and talks to her sister in Dubai that instructs her not to fight, and do anything the terrorists ask of her. Finally, these terrorists leave the house too - without going into the safe room

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      Camille and Nitza are besieged in safe room, with the terrorists in the house
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      Nitza asks Camille to bring her the Breathing device. Camille leaves the safe room, but just then the electricity fails. When she goes out again, she notices that Nitza's window is open. She sends a concerned voicemail to Nitza's son, Nimrod

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      An audio recording Camille sends to Nimrod, son of Nitza
      00:00
      00:00
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      Terrorists enter the house for the third time and Camille is sure this is the end. She asks her mother to send her a picture of her son, so that it will be the last thing she sees. Camille prays. Nitza makes noise and Camille silences her. But then the terrorists exit the house

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        Kamil's son in the Philippines
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        Camille again hears someone in the house. This time it's a single terrorist approaching the door of the safe room. She writes her phone number on one of the boxes in the room so they will know to inform her family of her death

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        The terrorist opens the door and Camille raises hands. She looks him in the eye and asks if he wants money. She talks to him in Hebrew, asks not to hurt them and explains that Nitza is an elderly woman. She brings him her wallet with a thousand shekels in it. The terrorist takes Camille's money and mobile, and leaves the house without harming them

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          Camille tells of her and Nitza's encounter with the terrorist Kan News
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          For the next few hours until the rescue, Camille hugs Nitza and promises not to leave her

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          The army arrives at the house of Nitza and Camille and they exit the safe room. While under fire, the soldiers instruct them to advance to the kibbutz' club, which is about 150 meters from the house. While walking, Nitza's walker gets stuck in the mud and she loses one shoe. Camille does not leave her and they remain stuck in the middle of the path

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          Only at four o'clock Nitza and Camille manage to reach the club safely. When Nimrod, Nitza's son, saw them - he found it hard to believe that they had made it out alive. The two are evacuated to assisted living housing in Jerusalem

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          Nitza and Camille manage to reach the club
          Nitza and Camille manage to reach the club
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          Nitza and Camille manage to reach the club
          Nitza and Camille manage to reach the club

          The Day After

          10/8/23

          Camille and Nimrod return to the house to take belongings

          10/9/23

          Camille cancels flight to Philippines

          12/4/23

          Camille Returns to visit her family
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          Accompanied by soldiers, Kamil and Nimrod return to the house to take belongings of Nitza and Camille

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            Soldiers escort Camille and Nimrod back to the house
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            Camille was due to fly to the Philippines to visit her son on 9.10. She feels she cannot leave Nitza and cancels her flight to stay with her

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            About two months after the incident, Camille feels she can leave Nitza, and flies for three weeks to visit her son and family in the Philippines

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