CLEVELAND — As more Israeli hostages have been freed, 3News is hearing from a family of four who escaped Hamas when they entered their Kibbutz on Oct. 7.
The family tells 3News' Laura Caso that they are fortunate to be alive after what so many others endured. The Rotbart family is a Spanish-speaking family that calls Israel home at Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak. After the Hamas attacks, they flew to America to stay with their extended family in Cleveland.
They recall the morning of Oct. 7 and say it was a typical Saturday morning in Israel until they heard a barrage of rockets. The Rotbart family is familiar with the sound of rockets, however, they say this was different.
"This time it was a large continuous stream of rockets. It sounded like a thousand jet engines above you and that’s when I woke up," said oldest son, Uriel. "And then machine gun fire, that is very unusual, that never happened in the previous cases."
Tanya, Sergio and their sons Uriel and Rafael stayed in their home bomb shelter from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. The family was communicating on WhatsApp with those in their Kibbutz community. They started to hear stories of Hamas entering homes and the devastating stories of kidnapping and killing.
"Since we know where everyone lives...we sort of have a map in our head of the kibbutz and we are hearing reports of people [all over] and so we understand [Hamas is] getting closer to us."
They held the door closed – praying to be spared.
The sounds of gunshots and bombs continued throughout the entire day. It wasn’t until 8 p.m. that the Israeli military transported the family out of their home to a communal shelter. The family is grateful to be alive and safe in Cleveland. Sadly, more than 200 people in their extended community were kidnapped or killed and they say they know almost everyone.
"I have teachers who were kidnapped or killed, former classmates, [my mom] has people she took care of who died," said Uriel.
The Rotbart family lived about 2.5 miles from Gaza but they always felt safe. Their Kibbutz is community living, which includes a peaceful lifestyle based on agriculture.
Together, they celebrate holidays, they hold events, and teach their children as one unit.
"Even if your house didn’t get hit, if the entire community doesn’t return, the village dies essentially, you don’t have a functioning community," said Tonya.
Tonya wants to raise money to reconstruct the homes, and increase security. Ultimately, she wants to return home and live the life she once lived with her family and her community by her side. However, there are many unknowns for this family and thousands of others who were victims of Hamas attacks.
"I don’t know how my day to day will look like after this is all over because so much is lost," said Uriel. I wasn’t hurt...none of my family was hurt...but my life will never be the same."
If you would like to make a donation for Nir Yitzhak, click here.
MORE COVERAGE:
