38 hours with a baby under the noses of terrorists: interview with Michelle Breiter

Michelle Breiter, a resident of Kibbutz Kerem Shalom, tells the Vesti studio about 38 hours spent in a shelter with four children during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. The youngest child was 9 days old. The family survived thanks to the security coordinator who connected IDF pilots via WhatsApp. After evacuation and half a year abroad, they returned to the kibbutz.

In an interview with the Vesti studio, Michelle Breiter, a resident of Kibbutz Kerem Shalom, recounts the 38 hours she spent in a home shelter with her four children during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. The youngest child was just 9 days old. Her husband, a former paratrooper, could not join the fight due to a lack of weapons and stayed to protect the family. The family heard gunfire and voice messages from neighbors as defenders fell one by one. Calls to emergency services were futile—the army base had fallen. Rescue came via WhatsApp: the kibbutz security coordinator contacted IDF pilots, and a helicopter struck a concentration of terrorists. After evacuation and half a year abroad, the family returned to Israel and decided to live in Kerem Shalom again. Michelle got a tattoo with the date October 7. She expresses bitterness over the authorities' inaction and demands the establishment of a state commission of inquiry.