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Adele Raemer
Life on the Border with the Gaza Strip

I hear massive shooting. I have never been this scared in my life

'Terrorists still going through the kibbutz, trying to break in'...'If you are the praying type, this would be a great time'
Selfie in the safe-room, 1:18 pm, October  7, 2023
Selfie in the safe-room, 1:18 pm, October 7, 2023

Editor’s note: Adele Raemer hid throughout the day in a reinforced security room in her home on Kibbutz Nirim on the border with the Gaza Strip after Hamas terrorists infiltrated her community. Below are the updates she posted over the course of those terrifying hours.

6:33 am – Suddenly out of nowhere, massive barrage, non stop, along the border

7:26 am

8:12 am

8:53 am – There is apparently an infiltration in or near my community. We have been told to lock doors, not leave the saferoom. We’re not even turning in the AC for fear it will signal the presence of people in the house.
My stomach is turning. I hear much shooting, even through the thick walls of the saferoom. I need to go to the bathroom but dare not. I have literally never been this frightened

10:51 am – Still in lockdown, terrorists tried to break into my house. So far they haven’t succeeded

11:18 – Hearing massive machine gun fire. No idea if IDF are here yet. Everyone in lockdown

12:00 pm – Terribly thirsty but trying just to drink small sips so I don’t have to go to the bathroom.

12:10 pm – Terrorists still going through the kibbutz, trying to break in

12:55 pm – I appreciate everyone telling me to stay safe, showing that so many care, but with terrorists going house to house I honestly do not know how one does that.
If you are the praying type, this would be a great time.

1:18 pm – Still hunkered down in safe room, need bathroom but we’re not allowed out! Terrorists still in kibbutz

1:55 pm – Usually when there are escalations my TV is on 24/7. This time, it’s off. I’m on overload. Doing all I can to keep it together, with the updates I’m getting on my phone. I can only say that we are still in lockdown on Nirim because the terrorists are still out there. I’m scared, I’m thirsty ( no hunger- although I haven’t eaten anything and it almost 2 pm…. fear drives away the hunger. But I still need the bathroom.

Even when the army get here, they will have to go bush to bush, door to door, attic to attic -no corner must be left unturned to be sure they get them all.

It’s going to take a while.

Prayers are appreciated.

3:16 pm – We have been notified that help is imminent, but to remain locked in. (And I snuck out quickly to go to the bathroom)

4:54 – Still waiting to be evacuated. Hopefully will have time to grab my shoes and medications and purse. There are still terrorists outside, and community is being slowly moved to a safer place. We’re still locked in the saferoom

6:00 pm

I can’t type anymore. The army went house by house clearing out people and escorting us to a central safe place on the kibbutz. We are all here now, as you can hear lots of noise, and we are not at all sure what’s happening from here.

October 8, 1:32 am – No longer in my safe room, just my son and me, but still extremely frightening.

It’s after 1 am, we are still in the kibbutz, but with army protecting us. There are still terrorists inside the kibbutz (one of the soldiers were wounded in a firefight not long ago). The region is still overwhelmed with terrorists and it’s dangerous to travel.

I am exhausted, but doubt I’ll get any sleep tonight. I didn’t think of grabbing a sweater when I was evacuated from my house, so tonight’s look is a tablecloth I found in one of the cupboards where we are.

So I’m spending the night with the frightened humanity of my community. We are in a large common safe space, with toilets and garbage that are overflowing, surrounded by the smells of unwashed people (full disclosure: I am one of them, since the urine that escaped the overflowing diaper of my granddaughter who sat on my lap earlier, is today’s eau de cologne).

We hear the sounds of sporadic artillery and automatic fire outside, and every sudden scrape of a chair, makes us jump. But not complaining. Feeling safer than I did during the 8-odd hours in lockdown at home, when, at times I felt like Anne Frank hiding in the secret annex waiting for the Naxis to discover their hiding place.

We do not know what yet awaits us. We only know the losses and horrors we have experienced so far: a father and daughter murdered when the terrorists broke into their home. The people who are missing from our community. Those personal losses, together with the incomprehensible number of civilian and army casualties from elsewhere in the Gaza Envelope.

Please keep us in your hearts.

About the Author
The writer (aka "Zioness on the Border" on social media) is a mother and a grandmother who since 1975 has been living and raising her family on Kibbutz Nirim along the usually paradisiacal, sometimes hellishly volatile border with the Gaza Strip. She founded and moderates a 13K-strong Facebook group named "Life on the Border with Gaza". The writer blogs about the dreams and dramas that are part of border kibbutznik life. Until recently, she could often be found photographing her beloved region, which is exactly what she had planned to do at sunrise, October 7th. Fortunately, she did not go out that morning. As a result, she survived the murderous terror infiltrations of that tragic day, hunkering down in her safe room with her 33-year-old son for 11 terrifying hours. So many of her friends and neighbors, though, were not so lucky. More than she can even count. Adele was an educator for 38 years in her regional school, and has been one of the go-to voices of the Western Negev when escalations on the southern border have journalists looking for people on the ground. On October 7, her 95% Heaven transformed into 100% Hell. Since then she has given a multitude of interviews. She has gone on five missions abroad in support of Israel and as an advocate for her people. In addition to fighting the current wave of lies and blood libels about the Jewish state, she is raising money to help restore their Paradise so that members of her kibbutz can return to their homes on the border, where they can begin to heal. If you wish to learn more about how you can help her and her community return home, please feel free to drop her a line.
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