The Raziel Family of Kibbutz Kerem Shalom on October 7 | Kan 7.10.360

Red alert sirens wake Shira, Yedidya, and their three children—Tzuri (7), Ta’ir (5), and Hadar (2). They are joined by Yedidya’s parents and sister, who had come to celebrate Simchat Torah. Shira, Yedidya, and the children take shelter in one safe room, while his parents and sister enter the other. A few minutes into the rocket barrages, Shira realises something unusual is unfolding and asks Yedidya to bring their phones into the safe room. He steps out, hears gunfire, and begins preparing to leave the house, as he is a member of the community's security squad. Minutes later, the kibbutz security coordinator mobilizes the unit. Before leaving, Yedidya tells Shira that terrorists have likely infiltrated a nearby kibbutz. Then, Yedidya's parents and sister join Shira and the children in their safe room

Yedidya leaves the house and asks Shira to shut the door behind him. She steps out of the safe room and sees the front door wide open. Afraid to approach, she hesitates—then, after a few minutes, quickly shuts it and returns to the safe room. Moments later, she hears Yedidya shouting. Only later does she realise he was calling out to Meiri Finish, their neighbour and a fellow security squad member

The family remains in the safe room, hearing fire exchanges erupting outside. From within the safe room, it sounds as if bullets are striking the walls of the house. Amid the chaos, Shira hears Yedidya shouting. A few minutes later, he calls her to say the battle is over—he and the security squad, together with IDF forces, have killed six terrorists. Shortly after, he calls again to speak with his children. He tries to calm them and urges them to behave. Moments later, he calls again, asking his father to take his pistol to protect the family sheltering in the safe room

Yedidya and Meiri arrive at their post near the solar fields, in the southeastern corner of the kibbutz. When Meiri’s weapon malfunctions, Yedidya urges him to run home and retrieve his pistol. Meiri does so, and upon returning, finds Yedidya in the midst of a gun battle with a terrorist squad. Yedidya manages to hit several of them, as additional security squad members arrive. Together, they eliminate the remaining terrorists

Throughout the morning, Shira brings food and a fan into the safe room and opens the pull-out bed. She contacts her cousin, who relays news updates to her. While Yedidya is battling outside, communication between them is minimal. Shira knows he is focused on the mission and won’t pause to update her. Around 10:00 a.m., after her cousin informs her that Israelis have been taken hostage, she sends Yedidya a message to check on him

Yedidya and Meiri are called to the Schindler family home after Avital Schindler reports hearing noises inside. Yedidya hears gunfire near the kibbutz’s chicken coops and hesitates, unsure whether to head there, but the two decide to run toward the Schindler house. As they approach, they spot a breach in the kibbutz fence and realize this is where the terrorists infiltrated. Yedidya positions himself behind the house and runs to take cover behind a generator to secure the perimeter. As he advances toward the fence, with his back to the Schindler house, he remains unaware that terrorists are fortified inside. They spot Yedidya, open fire, and kill him

Shira begins to fear something has happened and tries to find out if anyone knows where Yedidya is. She messages friends and neighbours but receives no clear reply. Later, she writes in the WhatsApp group of the emergency team she volunteers with, saying she hasn’t heard from Yedidya since the morning. There too, no one responds

A friend of Shira’s arrives at the house and knocks on the door, but the family doesn’t hear her. She calls Shira and asks her to open the door. Shira replies that it’s dangerous outside and urges her to go back home, but the friend insists. Shira steps out of the safe room and opens the door. When she sees members of the emergency team and a doctor she realizes Yedidya is dead. “But he told me everything was fine” Shira says. She explains that Yedidya was due to donate a kidney a few weeks later and asks if that is still possible. They tell her it isn’t, explaining that it’s because too much time has passed since his death. The emergency team also informs Yedidya’s parents and sister. Shira then brings the children out of the safe room and tells them their father was killed in battle

The family remains in the safe room. Shira learns that the family of Amichai Witzen, a fellow security squad member who was also killed, had been evacuated earlier and requests the Kibbutz's emergency team to evacuate her family as well. Around 1:00 a.m., Shira's cousin manages to arrange two military jeeps to rescue them, but they arrive during a heavy rocket barrage, and the family cannot go outside. The jeeps are diverted to another mission, and the family remains in the house

The family is evacuated to the community of Nave. They remain there throughout the morning without any means of communication. Around 2:00 p.m., once the roads reopen, they are evacuated from the area. Yedidya’s parents and sister are taken to the settlement of Psagot, while Shira and the children go to her parents' home in Beit Shemesh