Noga Weiss

The harrowing experience of the Weiss family during the Hamas attack on Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7 paints a vivid picture of the brutality and loss suffered throughout southern Israel that day.

Noga Weiss, 18, and her mother Shiri, 53, were abducted amidst the chaos, marking the beginning of a terrifying ordeal in captivity. Noga's desperate attempt to hide and her subsequent capture was narrated through her text messages, the last of which was sent to her sister at 11:30am, stating that the home had been set ablaze and terrorists were nearby. Her sisters Meytal, 23, and Maayan, 26, both lived in separate apartments in Be’eri, and hid in their safe rooms for nearly 12 hours until Israeli soldiers were able to rescue them.

The ordeal did not end with Noga and Shiri's release on November 25, as the family had to grapple with the confirmation of the murder of their father and husband, Ilan, 53, who had left the family home at 7:15am on the 7th to join the kibbutz's security team in defending the community. The family's dog, Ketem, was also killed on October 7th.