Roei Moshe - October 7th | Kan 7.10.360

As the attack from Gaza begins, 36-year-old Roei Moshe, a firefighter from Ashkelon, is about to finish his night shift as deputy team commander at the Be’er Sheva fire station. Meanwhile, his wife, Linor, and their children—nine-year-old Daniel and seven-year-old Harel—are at his parents’ home in Ashkelon, where they spent the evening celebrating Simchat Torah. When the alarms sound, Linor, the children, Roei’s parents, his six siblings, and their families cram into the safe room. Soon after, the power cuts out, and the air conditioner stops working. Pregnant and struggling with the heat, Linor is forced to step outside occasionally for fresh air.

Roei leaves the station for Ashkelon and messages Linor on WhatsApp, asking, "How are you?" She replies, "Come home safely." At the time, Linor and the family, observing Shabbat, remain unaware of the events unfolding near the Gaza border, assuming it is yet another round of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.

Roei heads north. During times of heightened security tension, he usually takes the Plugot Junction route, keeping a safe distance from the Gaza Strip. This time, however, perhaps in his rush to reach his family, he takes Route 34, which runs closer to the border. Midway between Moshav Yakhini and Kibbutz Gevim, he encounters a pickup truck operated by terrorists. In retrospect, it was revealed that these were the same terrorists who had attempted to break into the Gevim gas station minutes earlier and were heading toward Moshav Yakhini to carry out a massacre. They open fire, hitting Roei’s vehicle. He manages to get out of the car, fleeing eastward into the fields.

Roei sends Linor a voice message and bids his final farewell. He tells her he loves her, calls her his queen, and asks her to take care of their children and convey his love to his parents. His voice makes it clear he is gravely wounded, and it remains unclear whether he was shot near his vehicle and kept running despite his injuries or if the terrorists' bullets struck him in the field. After messaging Linor, he calls the police, who connect him to Magen David Adom. The responder tries to assist him but also informs him that rescue teams cannot reach him.

One of Linor's brothers calls Roei. He answers, but his voice is weak and indistinct. Moments later, her brother calls again, but Roei no longer responds. It is presumed that he succumbed to his wounds at that moment. Meanwhile, at the house in Ashkelon, Linor picks up her phone and listens to the farewell message Roei recorded an hour earlier. At this point, she and her family remain unaware of the terrorist attack, assuming instead that Roei may have been injured by a rocket strike.

Linor calls Roei repeatedly, but he does not answer. She contacts his commanders, but they have no information on his whereabouts. She then turns to her brother, who serves in the police, but her efforts are in vain. As the family desperately searches for him, they learn for the first time that numerous terrorists have infiltrated Israel and that massacres are being carried out across multiple locations.

Linor tracks Roei's location through his phone and sees that he is near Route 34. From that moment, she and her family desperately attempt to contact security forces to reach the area where his phone was last detected, but their efforts are in vain.