Israeli dad recounts shocking calls from sons in separate attacks by Hamas

An Israeli dad has recounted the horrifying moment his teen son called to tell him that terrorists opened fire at him during a bike ride – when his older son phoned to say Hamas gunmen were trying to break into his shelter.

Erez Cohen’s nightmare scenario unfolded at his home in Or HaNer, a kibbutz near Sderot, when his 15-year-old son Itay called early Saturday to deliver a chilling message.

“It was half past six in the morning. We were at home at Or HaNer when we heard ‘Tzeva Adom,’” a red alert signifying a rocket attack,” Cohen told Israeli news outlet Mako.

“We are already used to volleys, but this volley was different. Half an hour before this, Itay had gone cycling in the area of Kfar Gaza with Avi Shahar, our neighbor from the kibbutz, and with his son Zohar,” he said.

“I called him and he reassured me. He said they heard the siren and that they were in the shelter at the bus station,” Cohen continued, adding that his son said he and the others were placing the bikes into their car to return home.

About 15 minutes later, Cohen said, Itay called again to say soldiers opened fire at them.

“I hear him shout, ‘Why are you shooting at us?’ And then they realize that they are actually terrorists,” he told the outlet.

Avi was struck in the hand and Itay was hit in the eye by broken glass as the terrorists sprayed their vehicle with bullets.

“Somehow they managed to escape and reach a gas station in Kfar Gaza,” Cohen said. “I hear the screams. I try to send help but don’t succeed. I call the police and they tell me that they are sending someone but no one comes.”

Around the same time, Cohen’s 23-year-old son Yam called from his home at Kibbutz Nir Oz, where he was holed up with his girlfriend, and told him they were being attacked by terrorists and that the IDF was nowhere in sight.

“He said that they are trying to break into his shelter, but he grabs the handle and fights. They tried to get in like that five times, and each time he grabbed the handle and fought bravely,” Cohen told Wako.

“During this whole time, Yam was also on the phone and on WhatsApp with me,” he said. “It was nerve-wracking because you know that the terrorists are circling the area. It’s an unimaginable situation as a parent,” he continued.

“Yam was really a hero. If they had managed to get in, he would have been either dead or a prisoner in Gaza,” the dad said, adding that Israeli soldiers only arrived at the scene hours later.

Meanwhile, someone in a private car rescued Itay and his friends and rushed them to Soroka Hospital while Cohen and his wife, Rinat, remained stranded in their home as invading terrorists also opened fire at them.

“At one point I get a call from Soroka asking me for permission to operate on his eye,” he said, adding that Itay was later transferred to Wolfson Medical Center in Holon.

“We were lucky that both children were miraculously saved. We all went through a difficult trauma, but on the other hand, everyone is alive and that’s the glass half full. Every parent’s nightmare is to receive such a call from their child. There are no words to describe the situation and the feelings,” he said.

His wife said it took a long time for the couple to recover from the trauma and get some sleep.

 “I hear from the residents who went through a complete hell that they have nowhere to return to. Our story ended in a miracle and it is important for us to publish it to give strength to the people of Israel, there are miracles and we will win,” Rinat told the outlet.

“We will not surrender to Hamas and to psychological warfare. We are strong and united,” she added.