On Saturday morning, October 7, Oren and Esther Buchshtab from Kibbutz Nirim were abruptly awakened by the blaring rocket sirens. They quickly made their way to the bomb shelter and, out of concern for their family members residing in the region, sent messages to their son Yagev and his wife Rimon, urging them to head for safety.
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Unaware of the impending disaster and the grim consequences that lay ahead, Oren and Esther could not fathom the magnitude of the imminent tragedy - the abduction of the couple.
"After a few tense minutes in the shelter, I heard the terrifying sounds of gunfire, and I immediately reported it," Esther recounted. She wears many hats in the kibbutz, serving as the director of health and welfare during peacetime and as an emergency response team member in times of crisis.
In a matter of minutes, Esther received alerts from the emergency response heads in various kibbutzim across the area, spanning from Kerem Shalom in the southern council to Be'eri in the northern part of the council – all of them reporting incidents, and even in places beyond the settlement borders, warnings of infiltrations by terrorists.
Esther swiftly grasped that this was not a single incident, and the regional command center assured her that they were taking action. At that very moment, she hoped for the imminent arrival of military forces. Simultaneously, she engaged in a conversation with Yagev, who informed her that he could hear voices speaking in Arabic from outside the shelter. Esther urged the couple to stay well protected and crouched under a window, in case there were attempts to shoot at them.
Messages from fellow kibbutz residents continued to pour in, reporting breaches by terrorists in various locations. Images captured by these terrorists were shared on Facebook and started circulating among the residents. The last time I spoke to Yagev was around 7:00 am. In that conversation, Yagev's mother, Esther, heard something that sent shivers down her spine. She said, "They're shooting at our window; there are attackers outside our home." After that conversation, Yagev and Rimon were no longer reachable.
At approximately 3:30 PM, when military forces arrived at the scene for the first time, they initiated searches in the area. Yagev's father, who was part of the force, arrived at the young couple's home but found it empty. He mentioned seeing bullet casings on the floor. "On that very day, we reported both of them as missing. A week later, a representative from the military officially informed us they were kidnapped," said the parents.
Yagev and Rimon, both born in the southern region and raised in their household in Kibbutz Nirim, were known for their love of nature, music, and a deep affection for people and animals. "They first crossed paths when they were in school, both part of the same music group. Three years ago, they rekindled their connection, and they got married two years ago. They lived a vibrant life, with five dogs and four stray cats they had adopted into their home, all of whom are also unaccounted for," the parents explained.