The 7th of October was a day that will live in infamy in the State of Israel’s history, especially, but also the Nation of Israel’s. Not just because of the loved ones we lost or the atrocities or the thousands of families that have been destroyed, but also because of the fact that this day and this operation that was carried out against the Jewish people symbolizes the resilience and perseverance of the Nation of Israel throughout history: A nation of survivors whose enemies nourish themselves and build their lives from the lust for Jewish blood and desire to destroy this precious people.
We are Team Sharabi – Daniel and Neriyah Sharabi lead us in The Organization For the Survivors and the Wounded and this is our story.
The Noise Before the Storm:
We arrive at the party: Daniel, Neriyah, Shalev, and Yosef, and set ourselves up in the corner with the beanbag chair. Shay calls: “Come on, meet up with my friends…” We search for Amit (who didn’t survive). They say, “We can’t leave until 5:00am, no mixing. But it’s all good, Amit is bringing XLs from the bar, we’re starting to drink. We started to party, going back to the lot, dancing and having fun.
Neta is going to bring Jonny, Ohana is joining, Karin is dancing on the fence, that Arab man is bringing her a chair with the smile of a Bedouin so she can sit, dancing, having fun, and all of sudden, in the middle of everything, sirens begin to blare. We start getting confused and dispersing. We left through the emergency exit: Neta, Jonny, Ohana, Karin, Neriyah, Shalev, and I. We tended to a girl that was hallucinating on LSD and the rockets put her to sleep. We get back to our camp. The Amit’s friends, Shilat and Ella, are packing up, we move to Jonny’s camp and our friends. Neriyah and Shalev are carrying a cooler full of water and ice.
The First Bullet Fired:
At the same time, Yosef and I couldn’t sit still. We start running in the direction of Yagil. We get to Yagil and we hear on the radio that Sharif’s son has been shot, and meanwhile, there are rockets flying overhead, and their smoke is making clouds in the sky.
Sharif’s son has been shot. We’re running in the direction of the commotion. Yosef asks, “Where are we going?” But I told him, “I don’t know, let’s run. Neriyah, what’s going on…?” We run on the hinges of cars from the parking lot to Route 232 while warning everyone of the shooting. Suddenly, I see the Be’er Shevan DJ and I told him “Drive, drive, drive!” trying to pass him. Everything is jammed from all the cars trying to escape. I get out of his car and start running in between the cars and screaming, “there was a shooting, don’t pass.” Running and getting to the intersection of the main road with Neriyah and we don’t know what’s going on.
Shalev arrives with herb juice and says, “take it, take it.” We’re running a ton so a bit of energy is a must. I take a few gulps and then hear, “injured, injured! Dressing it, dressing it!” … I’m immediately frightened and understand that the bitter moment that I took a course for has arrived and we need to go help. His brother arrived with the first responders and saved dozens.
“We Understand That We’re In A Life-Or-Death Situation”:
We start running and suddenly I see Amit. I have no idea where he came from, walking without a shirt on the hinge like he owns the road. All of a sudden, there are streams of bullets from every direction. Everyone ducks and takes cover by their cars. I understand that I’m in a life-or-death situation. I tell myself, “From now on, I’m operating on automatic just like I learned in all the trainings.”
I trained for this crap and I learned that there’s no way I’m escaping. The hell with it, I start running while crouched. I hear Ohana yell to me, “You know I’m behind you, but we don’t any weapons!” Amit yells to me, “No, no, be careful!” I ignore him and keep running and, of course, they’re behind me, along with Neriyah and Shalev.
We get to the injured girl: I look at her injuries – badly injured limbs and entry/exit wounds all over her back, her whole behind covered in bullet holes. I arrive and tell them I’m a medic. There was a guy there from Duvdevan that spoke to me like we were back in Puris and Yechiel Battalion Aid Station drills. He updates me and I quickly get connected with Magen David Adom, they’re no help. I tell them what’s happening to the girl there while her left leg perforates like a strainer. I have no idea how the artery didn’t bleed her out, but she’s still conscious. Apparently, they’re friends with the Duvdevan and another one who was there, and I understand that she needs to be airlifted in a helicopter while I tell myself, “I’m going to get in a helicopter with the victim. I always wanted to land a helicopter during my service,” but no one except for MDA is answering, who’s asking me what’s wrong with the victim.
A ranger from the festival security arrives with a stretcher. I explain 30-60-90 to the group: they lay the victim down, tie her up, and start running like animals. I yell to them, “Waist height!” because we’re being shot at from every direction. We’ll never forget the narrow paths between the cars. We were squashed a few times, but 6 people, 6 angels, everyone silent, running, suffering, and understanding that they’re in something big, and they’re the only ones that will do this.
We are still moving forward towards the ambulance because it can’t get passed the cars blocking the road. After 500-700 meters, we met a driver (who was later taken hostage) on a ranger, we put her on the it, and drive full speed in the direction of the command post because the ambulance is closed and abandoned in a canal under the traffic jam.
We arrive at the command post. The medical team there is already set up, receiving us, coming back and realizing there’s nothing to do there. We get to the ambulance, I break the window, and we start to sweep out supplies. The Duvdevan and his friend are also with us, and packed a bag onto the ranger. The driver tells us he’s not moving from the police. He wants someone with a gun, but the officers aren’t ready to come with us.
Running For Our Lives:
He doesn’t want to come. Poor thing was taken hostage – what a good heart he had. I tell the friend of the Duvdevan to bring the bag. We are running on foot Ohana, Neriyah, Shalev, Duvdevan, his friend with the medical bag from the ambulance, and I. Suddenly, gunfire from every direction. Everyone runs back in every direction. We remained just Yosef, Neriyah, and I. We start running for our lives, taking a right down to the canal for cover. Yosef takes a left to a different car, and suddenly there’s a lot of cars between us. I yell to him, “Yosef, come here!” Suddenly, I see him lift his head to look right and left, looking for me with his eyes unsuccessfully. I call out to him, “Yosef!!!” He ducks his out and disappears. Then I see an RPG hit the front of the car Yosef was using for cover.
At that moment I thought it was over, but afterward when we got the RPG, I understood that if he hid around back, then everything is ok – maybe he’s a bit injured. Neriyah and I understand that, behind this Kia Picanto, we’re not surviving another round, but here comes the second round with heavy fire. We jump toward the tree, and there was a frightened guy with us. Neriyah told him in that moment, “Listen buddy, you’re either coming with us or they’re ending you here when they get her in two minutes.” Meanwhile, we’re under heavy gun fire from behind: AK-47 shells drowning us on the hinge.
Then we start to count, “Three, two, one…” – we took off in a zig-zagged sprint for about 15m of empty road. We get to the cars with a few police officers and people, and we understand that we’re retreating from droves of terrorists. We take cover behind a car and officers are standing with weapons aimed in the direction of the terrorists. I’m trying, meanwhile, to understand where Shalev, who’s also in a life or death situation of his own, who was between the bathroom and the fence, and got into a car with a girl from Jnuna that’s following Waze while the whole world is shooting at her.
And Then A Tank Arrived – “Like We’re in Fast 5”
Shalev says to me, “I sent you my location.” I see that he’s in the party area and he continues, “I’m alone and surrounded by terrorists.” I realize that there’s a chance he’s going to die now while on the phone with me… I tell him, “Shalev, you have to get to us…” Suddenly, we hear a tremendous noise and see a tank stuck to cars on the hinge like we’re in ‘Fast 5,” but it’s real life. Earlier we heard it firing shells too. We see the tank and realize we’re in a fight for our lives. Neriyah and I get together and decide not to lose each other at all costs. We run together, galloping over everyone on the road. I see a Black Nissan that’s trying to escape… I tell the girl, “Get out, get out! Let me drive!” I yell to Neriyah, “Grab another car, let’s get out of here…” Neriyah is looking for cars that are already running, but apparently there aren’t any. I put the car in reverse and step on the gas towards him like my life depends on it. Meanwhile, another girl got into the car with us and sat on the owners lap. Neriyah tries to get in on the equipment side, but she tells him not from there. He thought she was afraid for the equipment, but he didn’t understand that there was also a massive trunk.
He can’t move the stuff enough and he loses it. He finally moves the stuff and climbs in. I smash my foot on the gas and see a White Audi next to me, zig-zagging, spinning, and falling off the hinge. I look and see a tank. The same tank that drove by us on the hinge, and next to it a few Israelis. I stop and tell them, “No one knows what happened up ahead. There’s fighting everywhere. How do we know which direction to go? We should just stay here.” I stop, get to the tank, and people start gathering by the tank. I tell Neriyah, “Get in, get in.” We get in the tank trying to understand what happened here. Why is there a running tank and civilians? Meanwhile, I’m talking coordinates to Shalev to guide him here and there. In the end, he arrived 20 minutes later.
Neriyah and I go in the tank, while I ask myself who I know that’s a tank operator? I call my grandfather and when he answers I scream, “Hey, Grandpa! How do I work a tank???” He replies, “Hello?” I realize there’s no chance he’s able to explain to me what to do with the tank. I hang up, we come down into the tank and start trying the radio to try and call for search and rescue or at least update them that their tank team has been kidnapped and the tank burned.
God Heard Neriyah’s Prayer
After we got in the tank, Neriyah starts searching for weapons. We couldn’t get out of the tank without weapons, we won’t survive. While terrorists are shooting heavy fire at the tank, Neriyah found nothing after 15 minutes. He lifts his head to the sky, prays to God. Prays to God and asks for help. In that moment, Neriyah remembered religious soldiers that he met in his unit would leave a coin in their shoe for safekeeping. He just felt that he had to check the soldier’s leg, and when he lifted it, he found a gun strap underneath. He pulls and realizes God heard his prayer and gave him the fallen soldier’s weapon.
Neriyah pulls out an M16 from the fallen solder and I call Tomer’s commander, Menachem. He was Daniel’s platoon commander and he trusts him the most in situations like this. He answers and tells me, “Sharabi, the whole army is on their way to you,” which calmed us a bit, but we’re in a situation that doesn’t allow you to stay calm. Meanwhile, the group is already grabbing mags from the tank and starting to open fire on the terrorists, while more and more badly injured partiers join them.
The Vaseline Miracle
I also call Yoni, my deputy commander, screaming my situation at him, and he tells me, “Sharabi, you have to hold on, we’re on our way.” This really calms me because this man’s word is worth a lot to me.. We’re about to fire the M16, but it’s not working, jammed, and full of sand. I realize that I need to pass the gun to Neriyah. He starts taking it apart and clearing it like a master. He tells me the weapon is full of sand. I yell back to the partiers, “Who has something slippery, like oil…??”
Someone behind me said, “Hey, I have Vaseline.” We take it and bring it to Neriyah. He fills the barrel with it and the whole gun starts to clear up. Neriyah fires a test shot in the air and it works!
We start shooting: Neriyah is firing at terrorists left and right, while I’m talking to Yoni, and he tells me, “Sharabi, don’t keep firing so they always feel you, but not too much. Don’t run out of ammo.” The M16 can only hold one mag and the rest of the ammo we have are handguns and one mag that makes you feel like you’re a military force.
Neriyah fought from the left, the reservist fought from the right with the mag, and the intoxicated guy is helping him. Apparently he was a Mag Assistant in the in army, and did it well. Meanwhile, I’m tending to the injured that are reaching us and I realize that they’ve shot everyone, everywhere. The amount of arterial tourniquets I’m improvising is insane, but I’m pretty good at improvising so it turned out relatively well. The IDF’s arterial tourniquet is crazy. It stops the bleeding in a second, if you do it right.
Yoni is on the line with me the whole time. I’m calling people to find out where the wind is blowing and realize we need to get control of the situation. The police officers lost it. I suddenly hear a car. I look back and see a White Citroen Jumpy that looks like police with an officer inside. They stop next to us and almost closes a corner with the tank. They start getting out and I yell to them that they should get closer to fully cover the corner and he does, but the car is attacked. I thought he was done for, but somehow he got out with the others. A second later, an RPG hits left side of the engine. I hear ringing in my ear, feel a mild pain in my arm, and see a wound on my right arm, but around me there are injury victims perforating and fighting for their lives. I snap back into it and we realize we’ve been discovered and they fired a rocket at us, but we’re all alive and almost no one got hurt from that RPG.
The Silent Mag – Vaseline Miracle #2
Suddenly the Mag goes silent and I yell to him, “What’s going on?” He says, “Come, it’s jammed.” He runs back to cover to try and fix it.
He yells to me, “There’s no mag.” He goes back to his post, grabs a gun as I yell, “Go back to the Mag, I’ll toss you the Vaseline,” and immediately drop to the floor to find where I put it. As if from God, I found it (the smallest box of Vaseline you’ve ever seen). I see that he’s empty with just as little more left and there’s a lot of vegetation between the reservist with the Mag and I. I tell myself this is what we got, throw to him behind the car, and just pray that it’s a good throw. The Vaseline gets to his hands and he lathers the Mag, and it’s back! I have to give the girl credit, the Vaseline absolutely saved us because handguns wouldn’t have been enough against AK-47s.
Meanwhile, I’m on the phone with Yoni as he guides me and I know that they’re on their way so I’m calm. There’s a guy with a disintegrating hand. I have no idea how he survived without a bicep. I’m putting an arterial tourniquet on him basically up to his armpit and it’s improvised. I close with an empty M16 mag and try to get a pen to write down the time I put it on him.
Suddenly, our supplies starts running out. Shalev immediately volunteers himself to run into the fire, got to the Jumpy, put on as helmet, and like a wolf, runs in. Shalev’s risk makes us feel like more secure and like we’re going to win. Neriyah, meanwhile, is already moved the car when we got to the tank to close the righthand corner to make the perimeter more secure. I look the group in the eyes and tell them, “If you can’t help, recite Psalms 121 because we have no one else to lean on.” Menachem says, “The battalion is coming down for the Golan Heights,” but we’re 1 km from Nachal Oz. I need someone to volunteer to climb the tank to get supplies. Silence… Shalev volunteers, but I realize Shalev can’t do it so I tell Neriyah to put on a helmet, he’s got to climb up. Neriyah pounces like a panther’ climbs up the tank under fire, and starts taking out supplies: binoculars, Mag ammunition, and jumps back down to us on the ground. Suddenly, someone catches a bullet or shrapnel under the thank, I think.
The Least Of Our Problems At The Moment – Neriyah’s Pinkey
I realize that Neriyah is bleeding profusely from his pinky and I ask for a piece of cloth to close the wound. He almost lost it. I take the gun from him and yell to the group, “I need someone with combat experience!”
No one raises their hand except one, who says, “I do.” So, I tell him, “Stand to the left of the tank in place of Neriyah.” He replies, “I can’t, I’m afraid.” I understand the situation is dire, but suddenly I see on the hinge, a shielded police vehicle on the road. I cry out “Yes! We can get the injury victims to safety. We’ll do a caravan of lunatics and we’ll get the people that are about to die in the next hour out.
I yell at the guy asking what’s going on after I see him getting caught up by the car in the middle of the road. I run to him and ask him. He tells me the car is restored. I tell him alright, but ask if he at least has ammo? He says no. Medical supplies? Also no. So I ask him, “What do you have?” He says, “2 injured women in the back…” I open the door and see 2 injured women. I immediately pick one of them up on my shoulders and run back to cover and unite the officers we met with the rest of our force.
Meanwhile, Or got in the car and drove with two injured, Shalev was supposed to get in the car too, but he didn’t. They only made it to Kibbutz Be’eri before they attacked.
Or calls Jonny. “They perforated the car. It’s not starting and they’re shooting at us!!” At the same time, we’re already with a bunch of forces evacuating the wounded in cars. Andre arrived with Yoni and then kept going, came back, and evacuated more wounded. Simultaneously, I see the two terrorists in custody, look at them, and realize that someone needs to investigate them and do something with them. I approached one of them and kicked him to release some of the anxiety from this nightmare they brought upon us.
I want to thank, first and foremost, God for protecting us, my dear brother, Neriyah, and my cousin, Shalev, who supported me in doing what I know how to do, and Yoni for helping me. Just being on the phone with him, I felt like he was there the whole time, and I was able to control the situation and manage things thanks to him.
