Saving lives on 'Death Street,' how an Israeli kindergarten teacher became a battlefield hero on October 7

SOUTHERN ISRAEL - Tali Hadad is simply a 49-year-old parent of six and a kindergarten teacher whose days would usually beryllium spent teaching basal reading, mathematics and societal skills to 5-year-olds. She ne'er imagined that 1 time she would beryllium forced to marque life-or-death decisions portion nether occurrence successful the mediate of a warfare zone. 

But on Oct. 7, 2023, she was thrust into unimaginable circumstances.

As Hamas launched its battle astatine 6:45 a.m., she awoke to the dependable of sirens and gunfire successful her hometown of Ofakim, a small, working-class metropolis successful confederate Israel 15 miles from the borderline with Gaza. The piercing alarms that filled the aerial signaled this was not an mean rocket attack, to which overmuch of the portion had, implicit the people of galore years, go accustomed.

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Tali Hadad holding her son's weapon adjacent to the car she utilized to evacuate the injured. (Tali Hadad)

Hadad instantly knew her household was successful sedate danger.

Her son, Itamar, a worker successful serviceman training, was location connected permission for the weekend. As the sounds of gunfire grew closer, helium grabbed his rifle, afloat alert that determination was warring conscionable extracurricular their door. Without hesitation, helium ran toward the terrorists. Hadad, inactive successful her pajamas, rapidly slipped connected moving shoes and chased aft him, her instincts arsenic a parent taking over.

"I ran toward the playground," Hadad told Fox News Digital. "I hid down a partition and saw a enactment of terrorists walking with rifles, heading successful the absorption wherever my lad had gone." Moments later, she heard gunshots. "I knew Itamar was successful the mediate of it. I waited, hoping helium would travel out, but helium didn’t. So, I ran toward him."

Dodging done alleys portion gunfire rang retired astir her, Hadad saw the devastation unfold. "People were yelling from windows, begging for help," she said. "But determination were nary ambulances coming, nary 1 to prevention them."

Residents of Ofakim successful thoroughfare battles with terrorists who infiltrated the community, successful a photograph obtained by Fox News.

Then, she saw Itamar. He had been changeable aggregate times – successful the stomach, limb and thigh. Two of his comrades laic dormant connected the crushed beside him.

"He looked astatine maine and said, ‘Mom, what are you doing here?’ I told him, ‘You’re hurt, I’m going to instrumentality you to the hospital,’" she recalled.

Israeli soldiers instrumentality positions successful the confederate Israeli municipality of Ofakim connected Oct.8, 2023. (AP Photo/Ilan Assayag)

With gunfire inactive echoing astir her, Hadad sprinted backmost to her house, jumped into the household car and drove consecutive backmost to her son. "They enactment Itamar successful the car, on with much of the wounded, and I drove arsenic accelerated arsenic I could, 120 kilometers per hour, to the Magen David Adom presumption (Israel's nationalist exigency aesculapian service) astatine the entranceway to the city," she said. "I knew if I drove slowly, the terrorists would sprout me."

After handing Itamar implicit to the paramedics, she made a fateful decision. "I told him, ‘Mom isn’t coming with you. You’ll spell successful the ambulance, I’ll articulation you later. I person to spell backmost and assistance the others.’"

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Graphic Photo Warning: Itamar Hadad aft helium was changeable by terrorists. Itamar is inactive undergoing carnal therapy, but upon betterment helium plans to rejoin his service unit. (Tali Hadad)

Hadad returned to the country of the warring and made 3 much trips to rescue 13 radical successful total, each portion nether changeless fire. "People tried to halt me," she said. "They told maine it was excessively dangerous, but I took Itamar’s rifle, and I knew this was thing I had to do. I had nary prime but to act."

After hours of aggravated warring involving constabulary officers, forces from the Yamam special-operations unit, equipped civilians and off-duty soldiers, Israeli forces regained power of the town. A chopper arrived to evacuate the wounded. Only past was Hadad capable to measurement distant from her relation arsenic a rescuer and cheque connected her lad astatine the hospital. Itamar had survived, but his roadworthy to betterment would beryllium long.

Israeli soldiers astatine the confederate Israeli municipality of Ofakim connected Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Ilan Assayag)

"Half of the rehabilitation is physical, and fractional is mental," Itamar Hadad told Fox News Digital, reflecting connected the traumatic events of that day, the friends helium mislaid successful the battle, and those helium has mislaid since successful Gaza, wherever his unit, Sayeret Nahal, has suffered galore casualties. Despite the pain, his imagination remains to instrumentality to his portion and proceed fighting.

Citizens from Ofakim wondered if the radical moving successful the streets were terrorists oregon Israeli forces coming to prevention them. Some of the terrorists wore Israeli uniforms successful a photograph obtained by Fox News.  (Photo obtained by Fox News)

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On Oct. 7, 47 of Ofakim’s 50,000 residents were murdered, and the thoroughfare wherever Hadad lives became known arsenic Rechov Ha’Mavet – "Death Street."

A twelvemonth aft the attack, Ofakim is rebuilding. Death Street, erstwhile a awesome of horror, has been renovated. The metropolis has built a memorial, painted murals and planted olive trees – a motion of beingness replacing the destruction.

Tali, her hubby and six children, 5 of whom are present connected progressive work successful the IDF. (Tali Hadad)

"We’ve gathered the pieces, each the memories of the victims, and we’re trying to bring beingness backmost to the spot that was destroyed," Hadad said.

Ofakim was not among the galore towns and settlements successful the southbound that were resettled successful different parts of Israel. But the intelligence scars remain. The waiting database for trauma counseling has grown, overwhelming the disposable therapists. In response, the Israel Psychoanalytic Society and the NGO IsraAid established a multidisciplinary trauma center, offering escaped intelligence wellness enactment to survivors of the massacre.

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Tali Hadad pictured successful her location successful Ofakim. She, similar truthful galore others, became an improbable leader connected Oct. 7. (Amnon Arad)

Hadad, similar galore others successful Ofakim, and successful the full country, continues to conflict with the affectional aftermath. "We’re inactive bleeding," she said. For her, the acquisition was life-changing. She hasn’t returned to enactment since the attack, choosing, instead, to enactment location and attraction for Itamar. Five of her six children are serving successful the IDF, either connected progressive work oregon successful the reserves. At the moment, 2 of them are warring successful Gaza. Her youngest girl volition participate the service successful a month. 

The assemblage of Ofakim continues to heal, but the memories of Oct. 7 volition ne'er fade. "We retrieve however our children ran done the streets barefoot, warring similar lions. No politicians travel present anymore. No circuit buses arrive. But we remember. We volition ever remember," Hadad said.