Victor and Natalie Rachmilov on October 7th | Kan 07.10.360

Victor and Galina Rachmilov, along with their daughters Emily (16) and Natalie (26), are jolted awake by Red Alert sirens. They rush to a nearby public shelter, just twenty meters from their home, only to find it locked — joined by dozens of neighbors who arrive in search of safety.

Realizing it is too dangerous to remain at their home which lacks a safe room, Victor takes his wife and younger daughter, Emily, to his eldest daughter's house, Sophie, who lives on the other side of the city of Ofakim and has a safe room in her home. Natalie, the middle daughter, is scared of the rocket barrages and chooses to stay home, planning to join her family later.

While driving to Sophie’s house, Natalie, who stays behind, calls her mother, Galina, tearfully telling her she can hear gunshots in the neighborhood. Victor, a former officer in the Red Army, overhears the conversation and recognizes the distinct sound of AK-47 gunfire over the phone, certain it is a terrorist raid. Galina, however, finds it difficult to believe. 'No way,' she replies. 'We’ve lived in this city for thirty years—there have never been terrorist invasions here.'

After dropping his wife and younger daughter, Emily, at Sophie’s house, Victor drives back to get Natalie. He calls her on the way, and she answers, crying, warning him it is too dangerous and urging him not to come. Victor assures her he isn’t leaving her alone and will be there shortly. As he turns onto their street, an alarm sounds, and at the same moment, he sees seven terrorists—four on the left side of the road and three on the right. The terrorists open fire from just a few feet away, hitting Victor in his left arm, left leg, and chest.

Wounded and bleeding, Victor speeds toward the house, with the terrorists chasing after him and continuing to shoot. He stops about 100 meters from the house, uncertain who will reach him first—the terrorists or his daughter. Natalie waits for him at the gate, and he shouts to her in Russian that terrorists are after him. 'Get in the back of the car, quickly! Terrorists!' he calls. Natalie quickly climbs into the back seat, unaware of her father’s injuries. As they drive, she calls the police, but no one answers.

In an attempt to escape, Victor turns off the main road and makes a right turn, only to face gunfire from two terrorists standing about twenty meters away. He reverses the car and witnesses the terrorists shooting his neighbor. His neighbor’s brother runs to help his wounded sister, but the terrorists shoot him too, and he collapses over her. Victor attempts to flee in a different direction but encounters five more terrorists, who also open fire. Realizing the terrorists have surrounded the neighborhood, he understands there is no way out. His windshield shatters as his car takes about 80 bullet hits in total.

Victor spots a terrorist running toward his vehicle. Unaware of the threat, Natalie hides in the back seat, pleading with her father to drive back home. Realizing that staying in the car means certain death, Victor decides their only chance is to flee on foot. He yells to his daughter, “Get out of the car and run toward the main road!” Natalie jumps out, and a terrorist immediately opens fire in her direction. Victor follows, but after only ten meters, he is hit by four bullets in his right leg. Knowing Natalie won’t keep running if he falls, he pushes forward despite the pain. The terrorists continue firing and chasing them as Victor and Natalie manage to reach the main road.

As they flee, eventually crossing into another neighborhood, Natalie—her face covered in blood—bangs on strangers’ doors, pleading, “Help us, open the door!” But no one answers. They run from street to street until, by chance, they arrive at the home of Yossi, Victor’s nephew. Hiding in his safe room with his wife and children, Yossi hears their voices and opens the door. Victor collapses the moment he steps inside. Yossi calls for an ambulance, only to be told that no emergency vehicles can reach the area after a paramedic was killed nearby. For three hours, Victor lies bleeding as Natalie and Yossi follow paramedics’ instructions over the phone on how to treat him.

Natalie messages her partner’s sister, pleading, “Pray for us.” Minutes later, Victor’s niece spots paramedics on the street outside and quickly calls them in to treat him. They administer first aid, applying a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, and inform the family that Victor must reach a hospital within the hour. Then, they move on to assist other wounded individuals nearby. Shortly afterward, Victor loses consciousness.

After assessing the neighborhood and confirming there are no other wounded, the paramedics return to Yossi’s house to evacuate Victor to the emergency room. On the way, they make a brief stop at a police station to pick up a wounded soldier before continuing to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba. Natalie wants to accompany her father, but he insists she stay behind. She remains in her cousin’s safe room until evening.

At the hospital, Victor witnesses a constant stream of wounded patients arriving from the October 7th attacks across Israel. When doctors begin treating him, his blood pressure is 50/30 and his heart rate drops to 40. Dazed and barely conscious, he hears the medical team say, “We’re losing him.” They administer two units of blood and manage to stabilize his condition. Meanwhile, Natalie continues messaging her family, drawing strength from her sisters’ support from afar. “Handle the situation heroically, and we’ll bring you back to us as soon as possible,” they reply.

Natalie’s mother, Galina, picks her up from Yossi’s home and takes her to her older sister Sophie’s house. The entire family shelters in Sophie’s safe room, where they spend the night—and, eventually, the first months of the war as it unfolds.