Nothing prepared 30-year-old Amy Labban, a Kibbutz Nirim member and teacher in the Eshkol Regional Council, and her husband, Uriel—a capoeira instructor and hydrotherapist—for the traumatic turn their parental leave would take.
Just 10 days before the October 7 Hamas terror attack they welcomed their first son, Kai. The day before, they celebrated Simchat Torah in a decorated sukkah with their kibbutz community. The joy was threefold—they celebrated the holiday, Kai’s circumcision, and their official acceptance into Kibbutz Nirim, where Uriel had grown up after emigrating from Argentina at age 10. Amy's mother, 60-year-old Deborah Mintz from Eilat, had come to celebrate and stayed overnight.
"We woke up to rocket sirens, Amy recalled. “I called my mom, and we rushed to the safe room. We thought it would be like usual—a few rockets, then we’d have breakfast and move on. But the rockets didn’t stop, and we realized something was different. After an hour, we started hearing gunfire and people shouting in Arabic around the kibbutz. We didn’t understand much, but my husband and I locked the safe room door and shut the metal window tight, waiting for whatever came next."
“At 8:30 am, I heard them break into our house. We couldn’t see anything because they’d cut the power. My husband and I held the safe room door handle tightly, while my mom held our 10-day-old baby, trying to quiet him by gently putting a finger in his mouth. They couldn’t break in—they only managed to chip a small slit in the door. That’s when they set the house on fire."
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Kai getting some fresh air during the Hamas terror attack
(Photo: Courtesy of the family)
“We were in the safe room, with my mother and our 10-day-old, as the house burned around us. Smoke and soot filled the air for six hours. I got our dog into the room, but my mom’s smaller dog, scared, hid under the couch outside. When they set the house on fire, we heard him crying. We believe he was burned. They even torched our cars to make sure we had nothing left. We begged for rescue on WhatsApp. It was terrifying, but we each focused on a task. After the fire started, I stayed by the door while my husband opened the window intermittently to release the smoke. My mom held the baby.”
“I nursed Kai whenever he cried. When we thought things were quiet outside, we’d open the window and let him get some air. Whenever a terrorist passed by, we’d quickly pull him in, put him on the bed, shut the window, and crouch down. They even shot at the metal window, but thankfully, the glass held. For six hours, we played a game of opening and closing the window just to breathe until they finally rescued us. Our kibbutz’s amazing response team managed to neutralize a few terrorists with the help of four brave members until the army arrived around 2:30 pm."
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Uriel, Kai, and Amy Labban a year after the October 7 terror attack
(Photo: Gadi Kabalo)
“They broke down the shutters and got us out, took us to a shelter, and guarded us outside. They found an oxygen tank to share before we headed to the hospital. Since the ambulance couldn’t reach us, two incredible soldiers, unarmed, took the risk and drove us to Soroka Medical Center. Kai was hospitalized for three days. Thankfully, all his tests came back normal. My husband and I alternated in the ER with eye irritations and smoke inhalation; we’re all still coughing. A few days later, we managed to relocate with the kibbutz to Eilat, where my mom lives.”
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