Beheaded babies, murdered grandparents and families torn apart – the full horror of Israel’s 9/11 began to emerge last night.
Armed Hamas fighters massacred 40 children in a farming settlement alone, whose small bodies lay riddled with bullets in their rooms.
And as shocked survivors told their stories, a grieving grandson, Shmuel Harel, told me: “They are the new Nazis.” This was a Holocaust, pure and simple.’
He said his terrified 90-year-old grandmother’s final moments involved being dragged into her living room and shot twice in the head.
A sobbing Israeli woman said she watched in helpless horror as her 12-year-old autistic daughter was kidnapped while she desperately clung to her grandmother.
Israeli forces recover bodies of Israeli residents from a destroyed house as fighting continues between Israeli troops and Islamist Hamas militants
Cars and a stroller left at the scene of a rocket attack from Gaza over the weekend are pictured on a main street near the entrance to Israel’s Kibbutz Kfar Aza
Israeli soldiers prepare to recover the bodies of their compatriots killed in a Hamas attack in Kfar Aza
An Israeli soldier carries a dog as he takes up position next to Kibbutz Kfar Aza near the Gaza border
Israeli soldiers on Tuesday recovered the body of a compatriot who was killed in an attack by Hamas terrorists in Kfar Aza
As vengeful Israel unleashes a military retaliation, stunned survivors gather in refugee hotels a safe distance from the front lines – where they cry.
Last night at the Leonardo Plaza Hotel on the Dead Sea, dozens sat in the lobby and cafe, some carrying photos of slaughtered or kidnapped relatives.
Galit Dan, 53, told how her daughter Noya, 12, stayed with her grandmother Carmela, 80. As the sickening seizure unfolded, Noya sent a harrowing voice message to her mother, whispering: “Mom, I’m scared.” There are people in the house. Help me.’
Their mother said, “These animals came for them.” We have not heard from them and their bodies were not found among the dead, so we assume they were kidnapped. “I’m living every parent’s nightmare – every parent in the world will feel our pain.”
According to the Israeli military, Hamas terrorists beheaded babies and shot entire families in their homes on Kibbutz Kfar Aza. There, bodies litter the streets among burned-out houses, scattered furniture and torched cars.
Yesterday, Israeli soldiers went from house to house carrying away the dead, angry that innocents were being killed “not in war, not on the battlefield, but in their beds.”
Nearby Kibbutz Kisufim, a settlement of 375 peace-loving souls tending to avocado trees and herds of dairy cows, was shocked at 6:20 a.m. Saturday when grenade-throwing Hamas terrorists stormed in.
Kibbutz resident Mr. Harel, 33, told me: “They came to kill, abuse and desecrate.” They came to my grandmother’s house. She was 90.’ Jina Semiaitz, who had lived on the kibbutz since she was a teenager, heard the shots and went into her armored shelter but did not lock the door, he said.
Shmuel Harel (l) said his frightened 90-year-old grandmother (r) was dragged into her living room in her final moments and shot twice in the head
Shmuel Harel (l.) survived the invasion of Hamas terrorists together with kibbutz veteran Benny Hason (r.).
The Leonardo Plaza, where residents of Kibbutz Kisufim seek refuge. Last night, dozens sat in the lobby and cafe, some carrying photos of relatives killed or kidnapped
Full of anger, her grandson said: “She was scared and confused, couldn’t hear well and didn’t know what was going on.”
“She was the sweetest old lady and they took her from their shelter and dragged her into their living room.”
“They shot her twice in the head.” A 90-year-old – what possible harm could she do to them? They then went to their 71-year-old cousin Ofer Ron and shot him in the same way. These are the new Nazis.’
The Hamas terrorists continued their medical search throughout the community farm. Mr Harel said: “An 80-year-old man was handcuffed behind his back.
“They pushed him into the back seat and kidnapped him in his own car.” We don’t know what happened to him or if he’s still alive.
“There was a family – a mother, a father and a 15-year-old boy.” They hid in their shelter. So the terrorists set fire to their house.
A child’s seat and a child’s dress are seen covered in blood after a Hamas attack
Gunshots and bloodstains can be seen on a door and walls of a house where civilians were killed days earlier in a Hamas attack on this kibbutz near the Gaza border on Tuesday
Israeli soldiers say Hamas terrorists beheaded babies and shot entire families in their homes on a small kibbutz in Israel
Outside the destroyed homes, the soldiers told i24News correspondent Nicole Zedek (pictured) how they saw the bodies of babies with severed heads next to their cribs, a sign of the depraved acts committed by the terrorists since their attack on Israel on Saturday have
A view of a house in ruins following an attack by Hamas militants on this kibbutz days earlier, as dozens of civilians were killed near the Gaza border on Tuesday
An aerial photo shows the bodies of the victims of the Hamas attack on Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Tuesday
An IDF soldier holds his nose as he walks past Hamas fighters and Israeli civilians killed days earlier in an attack by Hamas militants on Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Tuesday
“They set it on fire, ransacked it and took food from the fridge. The family burned to death. Can you imagine the horror of their last moments together?
“My friend saw the fire and tried to help but it was too intense. He managed to save the 80-year-old neighbor in her wheelchair.”
Mr. Harel, a business consultant, said: “We live in a kibbutz.” It is peace-loving. But these people behaved like Nazis, like Isis.
“They then killed and mistreated the bodies.” “We must inform the world about what happened at Kibbutz Kisufim so that something like this never happens anywhere again.”
In Leonardo Plaza, Mr. Harel and about 300 survivors from Kisufim – half a mile from the Gaza fence and near the outdoor festival where hundreds were massacred – huddled in groups after the evacuation.
Flames and smoke rise over Lebanon, seen from Israel’s border with Lebanon in northern Israel
Huge explosions light up the sky during Israeli retaliatory attacks on Gaza City on October 10, 2023
Palestinians watch as others search for injured people in the rubble of a destroyed residential building after an Israeli airstrike
Israeli soldiers patrol near burnt houses after an attack by Palestinian militants on this kibbutz near the Gaza border
Israel said it recaptured the Gaza border areas from Hamas as the war death toll exceeded 3,000 on October 10
After an Israeli airstrike, Palestinians rescue a young girl from the rubble of a destroyed residential building
Palestinian citizens survey damage to their homes caused by Israeli airstrikes on October 10
Smoke and flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City. The Israel-Gaza war entered its fourth day on Thursday
An image shows rockets fired from Gaza City (right) being intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system (right).
Palestinians rescue a man from the rubble of a destroyed home after an Israeli airstrike
The Israeli government is funding her stay at the hotel, which is more dedicated to hosting tourists visiting the Dead Sea, the nearby salt lake known for its rejuvenating mud treatments.
Nothing like that can help. Across the hotel lobby where I’m writing this, a grandmother sobs while a younger woman tenderly strokes her arm. A group of parents angrily swap horror stories and tap their fingers in the air. Others simply hug each other in silence. But all around, children are happily chasing after each other, seemingly oblivious to the anger and drama.
And in a surreal juxtaposition, two clowns in colorful bobble hats recently showed up to entertain little ones while a flautist performed a soothing tune. Every now and then, locals come with cardboard boxes full of donated clothes and toys and fill the hotel restaurant with them.
Benny Hason, a 66-year-old kibbutz veteran, comforts people table by table. He said: “They stalked outside our houses, shouting ‘Slaughter the Jews’ in Arabic and firing rifles and shotguns.”
“They threw grenades into people’s houses. Most people had gotten into their shelters and locked the doors – but the terrorists tried to blow the doors open with their bombs. Not everyone was lucky. Today our community is smaller.’