Cohen family at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon.
Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, an Israeli man has recounted the horrifying time when his two sons called him within 15 minutes to inform the family about the attack by the Hamas group, as per a report in the New York Post. Erez Cohen said that his 15-year-old son Itay had gone out on a bike ride when he was informed that the group started shooting. Within a few minutes, his older son also called to tell him that the gunmen were trying to break into his shelter.
Mr Cohen told Israeli news outlet Mako that he was at his home in Or HaNer, near Sderot, when they heard "Tzeva Adom", an alert signifying a rocket attack. "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 neighbour from the kibbutz, and with his son Zohar," he said. The father said he called his son immediately who informed him that they were in a shelter at the bus stand and were placing the bikes into their car to return home.
However, within 15 minutes Mr Cohen said that Itay called to inform that the operatives 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.
He said that the neighbour, Avi, was shot in the head and his 15-year-old was hit in the "eye by broken glass" while the group also launched bullets at their car. "Somehow they managed to escape and reach a gas station in Kfar Gaza. 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," he said.
At about the same time, Yam, Mr Cohen's 23-year-old son, called him from Kibbutz Nir Oz, where he and his girlfriend were taking shelter, to inform him that Hamas was attacking them. "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. 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," the father continued.
Mr Cohen added, "Yam was really a hero. If they had managed to get in, he would have been either dead or a prisoner in Gaza." He stated that Israeli forces arrived at the scene hours later.
While Mr Cohen and his wife, Rinat, remained stuck in their home as operatives opened fire on them, someone with a car saved Itay and his friends and hurried them to Soroka Hospital. He 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 told the outlet.