Bernard and Margaret Cohen
On Saturday morning, Yael headed out for a stroll while her husband, Ofir, planed to visit his mother in Rishon LeZion. Their son Ido stayed in the kibbutz, and his brother Dan was abroad. When sirens sounded, Yael took shelter. Hours later, Ofir was still unreachable. That night, the family learned he was shot dead at the kibbutz gate
The Erez family. Right: Dan, Yael, Ido and Ofir
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Yael Erez, 60, wakes early and steps outside to feed the cats in the backyard. Upon returning home, she gets ready for her usual Saturday morning walk. Her husband, Ofir, 58, had already left the house. Their younger son, Ido, 22, lives in the singles’ quarter of Kibbutz Sufa, while their elder son, Dan, 28, resides in Berlin
Red alert sirens blare, and the echoes of explosions sound across the kibbutz. Yael retreats into the safe room in her home and begins exchanging messages with her son, Ido
Yael, a volunteer with the kibbutz emergency response team (Tzachi), uses a brief lull in the gunfire to step out of the safe room. The Kibbutz security coordinator instructs her to activate the “communication fan,” a silent WhatsApp group used during emergencies, where each member is required to report their status. When the sirens resume, Yael returns to the safe room. Meanwhile, Ofir is sheltering in a protected area elsewhere in the kibbutz
Ofir takes advantage of a brief pause in the sirens. He gets into his car, intending to drive to Rishon LeZion to visit his mother. Four terrorists, riding two motorcycles, arrive at the western gate of the kibbutz, just as Ofir passes by and they shoot him to death
An official message circulates in the WhatsApp groups, reporting a terrorist infiltration into the kibbutz. Yael hears noises coming from the balcony. She steps out of the safe room, glances through the living room window, and spots four figures—one of them wearing a Hamas bandana. She calls Elia Lilienthal, the kibbutz’s security coordinator, and urges him to come and save her. He replies, “Go back into the safe room and stay strong.” Yael returns to the safe room but is unable to shut the door. In the next minutes, Elia Lilienthal will manage to kill the four terrorists
Yael exchanges messages with her son, Ido, who is alone in the safe room of his kibbutz apartment. They try to keep the mood light. “Do you have a knife or something to protect yourself with?” Ido asks. “No,” Yael replies, “I’ll offer them coffee and cookies.”
Yael messages her son Dan, who lives in Berlin, to update him on what’s unfolding in Israel. “What’s happening?” Dan asks. “War,” his mother replies
Reports of gunfire begin to appear in the kibbutz WhatsApp group. Yael and Ido continue exchanging messages, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the army
Ofir usually calls when returning from his mother’s house. When his family realizes he never arrived and isn’t answering his phone, a growing sense of fear sets in
Ido keeps his mother updated on his condition, sending her reports of what’s unfolding across the kibbutz. “The entire kibbutz is now a cemetery,” he writes
During a lull in the fighting, IDF forces transfer Ido to his parents’ home, where he is reunited with his mother
While Yael and Ido sit together in the safe room, Eyal Brandeis, a fellow member of the kibbutz, calls to deliver the devastating news: Ofir is dead. His body was found inside his car at the kibbutz gate
Yael and Ido are evacuated by IDF forces and taken to Yael’s sister’s home in Kibbutz Palmachim
Ofir is laid to rest. The memorial service is held at the military cemetery in Rishon LeZion, after which the family proceeds to the funeral ceremony at Kibbutz Avshalom
The Erez family relocates to Ramat Gan, joining other members of Kibbutz Sufa
The children’s house group of Kibbutz Sufa renames itself “Ofir’s Class” in memory of Ofir, who had regularly accompanied them
The Class Logo Bearing Ofir’s Name and the Names of Its Pupils
Dan, the son of Ofir and Yael, returns to Israel with his fiancée to be with his family. The couple honours a promise they made to the sister-in-law of abductee Ofer Kalderon: that she would organise their wedding—but only once he and the other Israeli hostages are freed from Hamas captivity in Gaza
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
