Kipnis family
On Saturday morning, the Ben Ami family woke to red alert sirens. Ohad and Raz were home, Yuli and Ella were at theirs, while Natalie was at her partner's nearby kibbutz. They messaged until Ohad’s final text: “We’ve been caught.” Terrorists abducted Ohad and Raz to Gaza. Raz was freed after 54 days; Ohad was released from captivity after 491 days
Raz and Ohad Ben Ami
Click on the points on the timeline for a real-time tour. Clicking on the icons will display the event documentation.
On the night preceding the attack, the Ben Ami family celebrated the harvest holiday at Kibbutz Beeri. After the celebration, parents Ohad and Raz went home, as did their daughters Ella and Yuli. Natalie, their youngest daughter, stayed with her partner at Kibbutz Nahal Oz. On the following morning of "Simchat Torah", they wake up to the sounds of red alert sirens
Ella reaches out through the family’s WhatsApp group, concerned for her parents' safety. In previous rounds of rocket barrages fired from Gaza, her father often cracked jokes to lighten the mood. This time, however, his serious replies alarm her. She tries to piece together what is happening by checking news sites, but the general situation outside remains unclear. At one point, gunshots ring out in the kibbutz. Ella receives messages from fellow kibbutz members reporting that armed terrorists are spotted riding a moped in the Kibbutz. She immediately alerts her father, urging him to lock himself and her mother in their bathroom. Ohad and Raz quickly secure themselves in their safe room
Terrorists arrive at Ohad and Raz's house, opening fire from outside. Ella unsuccessfully attempts to reach the head of the kibbutz's security team. In a desperate bid to save her parents, she reaches out to every person she knows who can help, all while trying to assess the safety of her extended family, including her grandmother and uncles, who also live in the kibbutz. Meanwhile, the Ben Ami siblings message each other as they hear the gunfire echoing outside their homes
Terrorists break down the front door of Ohad and Raz's home while the couple hides in their safe room. They update their daughters about the break-in as Ella and Yuli attempt to call for help. Meanwhile, Natalie is in an area with no cellular signal and cannot be reached
As Ohad hears the terrorists outside the safe room, he sends Ella a file containing his last will. In the message, he expresses his fear that the terrorists are setting nearby houses on fire. Ella continues to try to call for help while she hides
Terrorists raid Ohad and Raz's home once more. Ohad informs his daughters that there are numerous terrorists in the bathroom, and after a few minutes, he updates them that the terrorists have entered the safe room. At this point, Ohad is no longer available, and his daughters continue to try to call for help
The terrorists abduct Ohad, and although Raz hides under a blanket, they discover her as well. For a week, Raz is considered missing until a video of her abduction is posted on Facebook
Shortly after his abduction, a photo of Ohad held in captivity is posted on Telegram, reaching his daughters, who still have no information about their mother's whereabouts. They persistently seek help for their parents and eventually contact "Channel 12 News" to share their plight on air. Their aunt, Ayelet Hakim, also living in Beeri, informs them that terrorists are in her home as well, prompting the sisters to seek assistance for her, too. Ayelet also manages to go live on air during a phone call with Channel 12 while the terrorists break into her house
Yuli and Ella exchange messages, staying coherent despite the sound of gunfire outside their homes and the urgent knocks on their doors. At the same time, they attempt to contact their sister, Natalie, who remains unreachable. When security forces arrive to evacuate Ella, she directs them to Yuli’s home, where the sisters reunite for the first time that Saturday
Yuli, Ella, and Natalie are each evacuated to different regions across the country. After a few days, they regroup with their extended family in Pardes Hanna. They later relocate to the Dead Sea area for two more months before finally moving to Tel Aviv to stay closer to the headquarters of hostage release efforts
Days after being declared missing, a video of Raz Ben Ami’s abduction surfaces on Facebook. Her daughters find the video and realize that the terrorists have also kidnapped their mother. The footage shows Raz, barefoot, being led by terrorists and placed in a red van before it drives away
A Post Published on Facebook Days After Raz's Abduction to Gaza
Ella and her sisters, Yuli and Natalie, pursue every possible action to secure their parents' return. In her first speech at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Ella calls for the release of all hostages held in Gaza
The sisters mark their mother's birthday without her in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square
Fifty-four days after her abduction, Raz returns to Israel as part of a hostage deal. During her captivity, her long-standing illness worsens, leading to a week-long hospitalization at Ichilov Hospital. After her release, she moves in with her daughters in Tel Aviv
Raz meets her daughters Yuli, Ella and Natalie on the Day of her Return From Captivity
Ohad’s family marks his 55th birthday at the Hostages Square in Tel Aviv
After 491 days in captivity, Ohad was finally released and reunited with his wife and daughters
Ohad's daughters talk with him for the first time after 491 days
Ohad and his family reunited
Mayan Tuaf/GPO 
