Idit Tabor and Shlomi Dabah from Kibbutz Sufa on October 7th | Kan 7.10.360

Idit Tavor, 59, and Shlomi Dabah, 66, rise early on Saturday morning in a temporary home where they’re staying at Kibbutz Sufa. They pack a coffee kit and head to their new house in the kibbutz’s, which is under renovation. A year earlier, after more than two decades together, they chose to leave behind urban life for a new start in Sufa. Shlomi waits in the car as Idit gets ready. When she steps outside, he notices she’s forgotten her phone. “Who’s going to call at six in the morning?” she sais. And thus, with neither of them carrying a phone, they start the car and set off

Idit and Shlomi arrive at their new home in Kibbutz Sufa’s expansion neighborhood and sit down to enjoy a cup of coffee. When Red Alert sirens sound, they quickly take shelter in the safe room

Shlomi and Idit hear gunfire and make the decision to leave the safe room and escape. They get into their car and head toward the kibbutz’s back gate, only to realize they can’t open it without their phones. As they drive, the radio crackles with reports of terrorists infiltrating the Gaza border region

Idit and Shlomi drive toward the kibbutz’s agricultural zone, an area scattered with abandoned containers, greenhouses, and piles of farming debris. Near the entrance gate they stop. Shlomi steps out and notices Ofir Erez’s car just beyond the gate. Minutes earlier, Ofir had been murdered in his vehicle, but from inside the kibbutz, Shlomi can’t see him. He returns to the car, and they continue driving. Reaching the agricultural area, they climb a small hill and hide for hours among heaps of discarded waste. They have no phones or food—only a half-empty small bottle of water

After hours in hiding, with gunfire echoing in the background, Idit and Shlomi hear helicopters landing at the nearby Sufa military outpost, bringing in troops. At the same time, a combat helicopter opens fire toward the Gaza border fence. Idit waves her arms, hoping one of the helicopters will see them

A military unit, in coordination with the kibbutz’s emergency response team, completes a sweep of the area, including both of Idit and Shlomi’s homes—the temporary residence and the house under renovation. Following the search, the family is informed that the couple’s phones were found inside their home, but the car is gone—and so are Idit and Shlomi. At this point, Idit’s children are convinced their mother and Shlomi have been kidnapped along with their vehicle and taken into Gaza

After spotting IDF soldiers landing at the nearby outpost, Idit and Shlomi decide to emerge from hiding. They get into their car and drive toward the residential area. As they pass the kibbutz’s entrance gate, they see a group of soldiers and approach them to request evacuation. The soldiers decline, explaining that the area outside the kibbutz remains too dangerous. Shlomi and Idit then take cover behind a shipping container near the gate

Shlomi notices the kibbutz gate has opened and urges Idit to get in the car. They follow a military vehicle and head north on Route 232 toward Rishon LeZion, where Idit’s children live. As they drive, the magnitude of the attack begins to unfold before them—bodies lie along the roadside, and vehicles burn in flames. Farther along, they encounter a police vehicle. The officers instruct them to leave the area immediately and make their way to Highway 6

Idit and Shlomi arrive at the home of Bar, Idith’s daughter, in Rishon LeZion. Idit rings the intercom and says, “Bar, it’s Mom.” Bar, overcome with emotion, immediately contacts her siblings, who had been certain that Idit and Shlomi had either been murdered or abducted