Tel Aviv: In the aftermath of the Oct 7 Hamas offensive that shook southern Israel, the echoes of tragedy persist three months later. The air in the cramped concrete bomb shelter, once a place of refuge, still carries the haunting scent of blood. Rampaging Hamas fighters, in a ruthless assault, tossed grenades and opened fire, leaving dozens of trapped Israelis in their wake.
Tali Kizhner, a grieving mother, knelt down in one such shelter, caressing the foot of a bullet-and-shrapnel-scarred wall. The wall, now painted white to conceal the bloodstains and scorch marks, bore witness to the horror that unfolded within. Among the victims was Kizhner's 22-year-old son, Segev, who sought safety after fleeing a music festival on the fateful morning.
"I wanted to know where his last moments were, whether there was anywhere to hide. What happened there. To feel it," she said.
The bomb shelters along Road 232 have transformed into canvases of bereavement, adorned with inscriptions, drawings, prayers, and poems that commemorate the lives lost. One poignant message reads, "This is where the dream of peace died."
Segev and numerous other young Israelis had sought refuge in these shelters, designed to protect against incoming Gaza rockets. However, these tiny rooms, measuring barely 6 square meters, offered scant protection when gunmen, under the cover of rocket barrages, infiltrated Israel, storming towns, villages, and ambushing roads. The toll: 1,200 lives lost, and 240 hostages taken, according to Israeli tallies, setting the stage for a war that has claimed over 23,000 Palestinian lives, as reported by Gaza's health ministry.
Segev, along with his friends, found themselves packed inside a shelter near Kibbutz Re'im, where some of the carnage was captured on camera. Dashcam footage revealed gunmen tossing grenades inside, countered by desperate attempts to throw them back out, followed by relentless gunfire into the shelter. Separate videos showed the evacuation of bloodied captives, including at least two men and a woman.
For four agonizing days, Kizhner remained in the dark about her son's fate until the family received the devastating news. Seven people, including one of Segev's wounded friends, survived the ordeal, bringing back a bloodied Star of David pendant given to Segev by his grandparents on his bar mitzvah.
—Input from Agencies