Shosh Makhol is a resident of Kibbutz Be’eri. On October 7th with the beginning of the attack she entered the safe room of her home, together with her husband Noy and their four children. 

The terrorists tried to open the safe room, but Noy held the handle with great strength and determination. They shot a few rounds of bullets at the door, and left. They gave up their efforts to open the door because it was held shut so securely. 

To our great pain and sadness, one of their bullets penetrated the door and injured Noy with a mortal injury. He bled to death next to his wife and their four children, while he continued to hold the door shut. 

For five months Shosh has been living in a pair of rooms at the Dan Hotel next to the Dead Sea, waiting anxiously for the expansion of her family in May. In about two months a baby will join the family, which is a big blessing, yet right now is another challenge that Shosh is dealing with.

Aviv Yifrach is a fighter in a special unit of the Shabak, Israel’s Secret Service. On the morning of October 7th Aviv returned from an operation in Israel’s north. A short time before he made it home to his town on the Gaza Envelope the sirens started. His wife Yasmine called to tell him not to come home because many rockets were falling. It seems that her call saved his life. 

A short time after that he received an alert that there was intense fighting in the police station in Sdarot and he joined the fighting. In the security footage you see how he entered the police station 19 seconds before the first terrorist succeeded in getting inside. Aviv climbed to the roof and managed the fighting from there. One of the terrorists that Aviv killed managed to shoot a round after he had been shot and three bullets injured Aviv’s leg and internal organs. For a few hours Aviv lay on the roof, waiting for rescue, and miraculously they succeeded in removing him from there. 

From then until today he has been hospitalized. The place where they live remains evacuated of its residents and Yasmine has been living with their two-year-old son in a one-room apartment that they rented next to the hospital. Aviv and Yasmine are expecting another child in April.