British-Israeli man describes terrifying ordeal as Hamas militants stormed home
A British-Israeli citizen and his wife have told of their 12 hour ordeal locked in a bomb-proof safe room as Hamas militants set their house on fire and gunfights erupted around them.
At times, they were just inches from the militants and were forced to stay put as Hamas fighters engaged Israeli Defence Force (IDF) troops for hours with no water and no food, stuck in the pyjamas they were wearing when they woke up.
Ben, who did not wish to give his second name, shared his terrifying ordeal with Sky News from an evacuation point near the Dead Sea.
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Originally from Worcestershire, Ben and his wife have lived in a kibbutz named Be’eri, located around 5km from the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, for the past 26 years.
This map shows the position of Kibbutz Be’eri
The 52-year-old moved there after meeting his wife-to-be while visiting his brother, who had travelled to Israel as a volunteer.
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Ben woke up to sounds of rockets being fired, something he said was “not unusual”, and was met outside by his neighbours, who – like him – were in their pyjamas.
“We assumed it would be over soon, but it wasn’t,” he said.
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He watched the Iron Dome system intercept a number of rockets, before receiving a text message telling all those in the area to lock themselves in their safe rooms.
The safe room, like many in the area, is a small 5x4sqm room with gas and blast-proofing on the door, which cannot be opened from outside when shut.
There is a small window, which is reinforced with blast-proof steel, that can be opened to the outside.
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The room also doubles up as a bedroom for his son when he stays over.
He expected to receive an all-clear message within half an hour, but instead began hearing Arabic voices in the distance gradually approaching his house.
‘They were a few centimetres away from me’
Ben estimates 30 Hamas militants were in his kibbutz, and the speed and scale of the attack took the neighbourhood by surprise.
Ben’s neighbourhood in Kibbutz Be’eri, before the attack
“We were so underprepared for such an unprecedented attack, and we didn’t have water, food, anything [in the safe room]” he said.
Ben and his wife were laying silent on the floor of the room when they heard a commotion outside his house and more shouting – before hearing a “tremendous boom” as his front door was knocked in.
“They were a few centimetres, a few inches away from me as I’m holding the door,” he said.
“I was cold, I was sweating profusely within an instant on such a high level of alert.”
Despite their close proximity, the militants didn’t try to enter the safe room, but Ben heard them smashing the house outside.
‘It was so unbelievably hot’
He presumes the TV and windows were broken, as crashing and banging was heard for some time before the attackers appeared to leave the house.
“Very soon afterwards, we could hear crackling and we could begin to smell smoke,” he said.
Becoming emotional, he said “we understood that our home was on fire”.
Ben and his wife listened as their house fell apart around them, with the roof caving in and more windows shattering from the heat.
The door, which is built to prevent a gas attack, had its seal melted away – allowing thick smoke to enter the safe room.
“It was so hot, it was so unbelievably hot,” Ben said, “I don’t know how we didn’t pass out.”
He described how the pair of them lay on the floor with bedsheets from their son’s bed covering their mouths to block out the smoke.
“We managed to breathe every now and again through a crack in our blinds,” he said.
After hours in what he called “hell”, Ben and his wife heard Israeli forces arrive and engage the Hamas fighters.
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How the Hamas attack on Israel unfolded.
Despite the arrival of friendly troops, there would be no respite from the heat and the smoke for Ben and his wife for another six hours, while they listened to gunfire.
“For another six hours, we listened to gunfights all around us,” he said.
“I think there was a gunman on our roof, as the shots sounded so close,”
The pair were trapped, with no choice but to stay put.
Through the crack in the blinds of the safe room, they watched a neighbour’s house get set alight.
“We saw it burst into flames,” Ben said, explaining that the fire quickly spread to other houses in the neighbourhood.
He doesn’t know the fate of many of his neighbours, but he saw a massive explosion emanate from the safe room of another house nearby.
After hours of fighting, Ben said he and his wife took heart after “the shouting turned from Arabic to Hebrew”, and IDF soldiers began going house to house in the neighbourhood evacuating survivors of the attack.
Soldiers were able to pull the pair through the window of the safe room once opened by Ben, as the house on the other side of the door was presumably too unstable to escape through given the fire damage.
They were rushed into the back of a 4×4 and driven away under the cover of darkness, unable to survey the damage to their home or even grab any spare clothes.
‘When on earth are we going to be safe?’
Ben and his wife had entered the safe room at around 7am and emerged more than 12 hours later, sweat-drenched, dehydrated and still in the pyjamas they wore when they entered.
When they were dropped off at an extraction point in a car park, Ben said they were given some food and water.
Becoming emotional again, Ben said a soldier offered to give him a pair of socks, as he noticed he was walking around barefoot on the gravel of the car park.
“It was an act of kindness – I won’t forget it, no matter how small it was.”
But they weren’t out of the woods yet.
Waiting in the car park for over an hour, Ben said a shout rang out that Hamas militants were nearby, which was quickly followed by the sound of gunshots and small puffs of dust popping up on the ground around him.
“I thought, ‘when on earth are we going to be safe?’,” he said.
When the fighting ceased, he and other survivors were loaded onto an open-top truck and taken to a nearby sports stadium, before they were moved on to an area near the Dead Sea and put up in hotels.
When asked what he will do now, Ben said he didn’t know if he could stay in the country after the ordeal, given the presumed damage to his home and the wider kibbutz.
“A big part of me wants to leave Israel, even though we’ve lived here for 26 years.”
“It’s our home,” he said, “and all that’s gone”.
It was supposed to be a day of pure joy, with hours spent dancing with the love of his life.
But when Hamas terrorists attacked Nova festival on 7 October 2023, Roei Shalev’s life was tragically changed forever.
The 29-year-old was dancing the night away with his partner, Mapal Adam, and their best friend Hilly Solomon when rocket fire suddenly drowned out the music.
Roei, Mapal and Hilly frantically tried to escape by car, driving away from the festival grounds until they encountered a young woman stumbling into the road, covered in blood.
She warned them that there were Hamas gunmen behind her, so the trio exited their vehicle and ran to nearby trees to hide.
“Bullets whizzed past us, grenades exploded nearby, and terror engulfed us from all directions,” Roei said.
They dived under two abandoned cars – Roei and Mapal under one, Hilly under the other.
But the gunmen caught up with them, shooting the three festivalgoers as they were pinned under the cars.
Roei tried to shield 26-year-old Mapal from the bullets, but she died beneath him while he was shot in the back. Hilly, 26, was also killed instantly.
Roei was shot in the back twice. Pic: Instagram/@roeishalev
What followed were “agonising” hours during which Roei lay still, covered in his and his girlfriend’s blood, and played dead.
Even when a second group of gunmen approached and shot at him a second time, hitting him in the back yet again, he did not move.
Seven hours later, the Israeli army found Roei alive.
“That day was the darkest I’ve ever known,” he later said.
The terror continued
A week after his girlfriend and best friend were killed, Roei’s mother Raffaela took her own life because she “couldn’t contain the pain and losses of October 7”, according to her son.
“In just one week, I lost three of the most important women to me in the world,” Roei said.
“In the months that followed, I struggled to cope. Flashbacks and anxiety consumed me, and sleep became a distant memory.”
Roei said therapy and the unwavering support of others gave him the strength to share his story publicly.
“I opened up on social media, laying bare the rawest details of my trauma. The response was overwhelming,” Roei wrote on a fundraising page for Nova festival survivors and their families last year.
“Messages poured in from people who found solace and inspiration in my journey. Their words gave me purpose, a reason to keep fighting.”
He said he was “uncertain of what the future holds”, but knew that he had to “honour the memory of the three extraordinary girls who were taken from us too soon”.
Roei Shalev and Mapal Adam. Pic: Instagram/@roeishalev
In the two years that followed these tragic events, Roei renamed the family bakery he had been running with his girlfriend to “Mapal Cafe”, in tribute to his “one and only love” and organised events to commemorate Mapal and Hilly.
“Amidst the pain and sorrow, I hold onto one truth: we will dance again,” he said in his fundraising post a year ago.
‘Longing for you is only getting bigger’
On the anniversary of his girlfriend’s death, Roei wrote on Instagram: “Two years have passed since the most terrible day of my life… and of a whole country.
“The longing for you is only getting bigger, the pain does not pass with time. It is always there, everywhere, all the time. I’m full of pain this year, even more than last year.”
In the post, Roei thanked his girlfriend for “moments I won’t forget, pure love and the best relationship I could ask for”.
He also addressed both her and Hilly, saying: “A huge apology that I couldn’t keep you safe on this terrible day, you know I did everything, I did everything to keep you safe, my beloved.
“I preferred to die in agony and for you to survive it.”
A woman leans on a picture of Mapal Adam, at the site of the Nova music festival. File pic: AP
On Friday night, three days after the anniversary of the tragic events, Roei posted a note on his Instagram account, saying he “can’t go on anymore”.
“I’ve never felt such deep and burning pain and suffering in my life. It’s eating me up inside,” Roei wrote.
His note raised concern among his family and friends, and a frantic search was launched.
The search ended a few hours later in the tragic discovery of Roei’s body inside a burning car near Poleg Beach in Netanya, Israel. Police have opened an investigation, according to Israeli media.
His friends describe Roei as a warm and devoted member of the Nova community who “gave strength to everyone else while quietly carrying immense pain”, The Times of Israel reports.
Roei’s family confirmed his death in a statement and asked for their privacy to be respected.
Roei Shalev was found dead on Friday. Pic: Instagram/@novaexhibitions
The Nova Tribe Community organisation, which represents survivors and families of the victims of the October 7 attack on the music festival, called his death “heartbreaking” and “deeply saddening” in a tribute.
“Roei was a pillar of strength within the community, and his death is an immeasurable loss for us,” the organisation said.
The statement continued: “Sadly, many members of the Nova community are still experiencing traumatic moments daily since October 7.
“We ask everyone to show constant awareness and emotional sensitivity to the mental state of those affected by the October 7 events and to all survivors and bereaved families.”
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SafeHeart, a non-profit organisation providing psychological support for October 7 survivors and their families, said in a statement: “Our hearts are broken alongside Roei’s family, friends, and the entire survivor community.
“This terrible tragedy is a painful reminder that for many survivors, the trauma of October 7 has not ended. It continues to live within them, day by day, moment by moment. The pain does not simply fade with time; in many cases, it grows stronger.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK.
Alternatively, you can call Mind’s support line on 0300 102 1234, or NHS on 111.
A survivor of the October 7 attacks has died, two years after his girlfriend was shot dead by Hamas gunmen at Nova Festival.
Roei Shalev, 29, has been found dead shortly after the second anniversary of the death of his 27-year-old girlfriend Mapal Adam, who was killed by Hamas gunmen when they attacked Nova Festival.
The couple had been dancing with their friend Hilly Solomon, 26, on 7 October 2023 when the sound of rocket fire drowned out the music, causing them to flee the festival grounds in their car.
As Hamas fighters closed in from all directions, the trio hid under a car, but they were spotted by gunmen and shot several times.
Roei Shalev and Mapal Adam. Pic: Instagram/@roeishalev
Mr Shalev said he waited seven “agonising” hours with two bullets in his back – with his girlfriend and his friend lying dead beside him – until the Israeli army came.
A week later, his mother took her own life.
“In just one week, I lost three of the most important women to me in the world,” Mr Shalev wrote on a fundraising page for festival survivors and their families.
“That day was the darkest I’ve ever known. In the months that followed, I struggled to cope. Flashbacks and anxiety consumed me, and sleep became a distant memory,” he added.
Now, two years after the horrifying attack, Mr Shalev was found dead in a burning car near Poleg Beach in Netanya, Israel.
Police have opened an investigation, Israeli media reports.
Shortly before his body was found, Mr Shalev had posted a note on his Instagram account, saying he “can’t go on anymore”.
“I’ve never felt such deep and burning pain and suffering in my life. It’s eating me up inside,” Mr Shavel wrote.
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Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK.
Alternatively, you can call Mind’s support line on 0300 102 1234, or NHS on 111.
World
Hamas official thanks Donald Trump for ceasefire deal – but tells Sky News Tony Blair not welcome
A senior Hamas official has thanked President Donald Trump for his role in securing a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
In an exclusive interview with Sky News’ lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim, senior Hamas official Dr Basem Naim also warned that former UK Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair would not be welcome in any post-war role for Gaza.
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Israel and Hamas have agreed to a first phase of a peace deal brokered by the US president, with a ceasefire taking effect on Friday.
Dr Naim said the ceasefire would not have been possible without President Trump, but insisted he needed to continue to apply pressure to Israel to stick to the agreement.
He added that Hamas would be willing to step aside for a Palestinian body to govern a post-war Gaza, but that they would remain “on the ground” and would not be disarmed.
Dr Naim said in the interview: “Without the personal interference of President Trump in this case, I don’t think that it would have happened to have reached the end of the war.
“Therefore, yes, we thank President Trump and his personal efforts to interfere and to pressure Israel to bring an end to this massacre and slaughtering.”
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He added: “We believe and we hope that President Trump will continue to interfere personally and to exercise the maximum pressure on [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to fulfil its obligation.
“First, as according to the deal, and second, according to the international law as an occupying power, because I think without this pressure, without this personal interference from President Trump, this will not happen.
“We have already seen Netanyahu speaking to the media, threatening to go to war again if this doesn’t happen, if that doesn’t happen.”
Donald Trump has been thanked for his role in securing a peace deal in Gaza. Pic: AP
Questions remain over the next phases of the peace plan, including who will govern Gaza as Israeli troops gradually pull back and whether Hamas will disarm – as called for in Mr Trump’s ceasefire plan.
Mr Netanyahu has hinted that Israel might renew its offensive if Hamas does not give up its weapons.
However, Dr Naim said Hamas would not completely disarm and that weapons would only be handed over to the Palestinian state, with fighters integrated into the Palestinian National Army.
“No one has the right to deny us the right to resist the occupation of armies,” he said.
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Thousands of Gazans are heading north as Israeli troops pull back.
On future governance, Dr Naim criticised plans for Sir Tony to play any role in overseeing the future of Gaza, saying that Hamas and Palestinians were angered by his role in previous wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Dr Naim added: “When it comes to Tony Blair, unfortunately, we Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims and maybe others around the world have bad memories of him.
“We can still remember his role in killing, causing thousands or millions of deaths to innocent civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“We can still remember him very well after destroying Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Under Mr Trump’s plans, Sir Tony would form part of an international supervisory body.
The international body, the Council of Peace or Board of Peace, would govern under plans approved by Mr Netanyahu.
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The body would hold most power while overseeing the administration of Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs.
It would also hold the commanding role of directing reconstruction in Gaza.
Sir Tony Blair has been told he would not be welcome in a post-war Gaza. Pic: PA
Dr Naim added that Hamas was satisfied Mr Trump’s plan would achieve peace in Gaza.
But he said it could never be fully satisfied after accusing Israel of genocide.
Israel has continually denied this, claiming it has been fighting Hamas terrorists to defend itself following the October 7 massacre in 2023.
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