"She said 'Mom, they're shooting', and I didn't understand. I tried to calm her down angrily"

Three years after the October 7 massacre, parents of six murdered victims return to the last phone calls with their children. Michel Illouz, who lost his son Guy, and Ronit Rahum, who lost her daughter Nitzan, recount the moments they tried to calm and instill hope, not realizing these were farewell words. The recordings reveal fear, confusion, and regret over what was left unsaid.

Three years after the Simchat Torah massacre, parents of six murdered victims revisit the last phone calls they had with their children on the morning of October 7, 2023. Michel Illouz, who lost his son Guy, recounts the call in which Guy told him "Dad, I love you" and reported being wounded by gunfire and that four people had died in his arms. Michel tried to calm him and give instructions, not realizing it was a final farewell. Guy was kidnapped to Gaza and died in captivity after 57 days. Ronit Rahum, who lost her daughter Nitzan, who was pregnant, and her partner Lidor Levi, recalls a call where Nitzan said "Mom, they're shooting on the road I'm on" and Ronit tried to calm her angrily, not grasping the scale. Nitzan and Lidor were murdered. Both families describe deep regret over not having said a proper goodbye and over the words left unspoken.