On the Sunday after Black Sabbath, the Samimi family was supposed to gather around the area in the moshav, where their new home was supposed to begin. "We are currently in ignorance, certainly with the workers, but God willing, we will return to Shukda and build our new home soon," Yaron says optimistically. "We have a lot of hope for indefinite quiet."
Ariel: "And we were sure that we would return to the moshav after two weeks maximum."
In the video: The evacuees from Sderot at the Dead Sea // Photo: Yoni Rikner
Noa: "Tomorrow I'm going home, also with the missiles. I'm in high school, preparing for my matriculation exams, and being displaced from home and moving to another studio hurts my studies. We went through a difficult year with Corona, and now it's because of the war."
Nahorai: "I'm studying computer science, and representatives from the Ministry of Education took care of my laptop because I didn't have one, because we were evacuated quickly. We barely even took clothes with us."
Talia: "I'm having fun here, because I was afraid of the booms and the terrorists. I stayed in the safe room the whole time, and when my mother sometimes came out, I was afraid something would happen to her."
Yeska: "We woke up on the morning of the massacre and heard whistles. I thought they were planes, maybe lightning or thunder. I barely had time to say anything to Yaron and we already heard 'Red Alert.'"
Nahorai: "I flew to the wall from the blast. The interceptions were above us."
Yeska: "Our house looks towards Barry and we heard shots from there. We saw no sky, but a black smoke screen. There was also a shocking smell. It wasn't until noon that we realized what a disaster had befallen Barry."
In the video: This is what waiting for the abductees looks like at the hotel where the evacuees are in Eilat // Photo: Ran Shauli
Yaron: "Two IDF helicopters landed next to us and took down paratroopers who were supposed to reach Bari. On the way, they encountered dozens or hundreds of terrorists, and they saved Shukda. If it weren't for them, we probably would have suffered the same fate as Barry's."
How do you feel after almost 2 months in a hotel?
Yeska: "We are treated great here, but personal and marital privacy are compromised. Between jobs, studies and friends at the hotel, we make sure to at least have dinners together to keep the family unit united."
Families interested in sharing their story with Israel Hayom can contact us by email TalA@IsraelHayom.co.il
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us