Hamas Takes Over WhatsApp Group, Luring Community to Exit Safe Rooms

The experience of Hamas staging an attack in the neighborhood is a horrific experience witnessed on Saturday by the Israelis. The residents recall the atrocities committed by the terrorists, including setting properties alight, killing neighbors, and taking residents hostages within the kibbutz near the border.

The horrific experience is illustrated in an account of a survivor hailing from a kibbutz of 400 residents specializing in dairy farming. The frightened Israelis responded to the terrorist attack by issuing alerts via the neighborhood WhatsApp group. 

Alerts Shared via WhatsApp Group Help Residents Take Cover in Safe Rooms

The alert message asked the residents to hide in their safe rooms. Taking cover was necessary since the Hamas terrorists approached the kibbutz 600 meters from the border after overrunning the security.

The tips shared via the neighborhood WhatsApp helped members of the tight-knit community survive the wrath of the salvages by hiding in their safe rooms. In particular, the community members relied upon the snippet of information guiding members on how to lay low as the Hamas gunmen rampaged their streets, killing and kidnapping innocent residents.

Surprisingly, Hamas would exploit the WhatsApp group, informing the residents that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were in the kibbutz to save the community. The message asked the residents to open safe rooms. Unknowingly, the message was a ruse.  

A 42-year-old nurse, Nadav Peretz, recalls receiving the text asking one to open the safe door. The nurse, who was by then cowering in the safe room, admitted that Hamas accessed the Whatsapp group from phones obtained from the captives to lure the residents. 

The resident recalls that Hamas captured a teenage boy after sending the message and used him as a pawn to assess the neighbor’s home by positioning him at the entrance. The tactic lured several members out of hiding, leaving dozens missing and others feared dead. 

Rescuing the frightened individuals from their safe room would take thirty-six hours. By then, Peretz reappeared, donning the same white T-shirt inscribed with a slogan emphasizing the preference for Israeli milk.

The attack occurred on Saturday, October 7, when the kibbutz, whose community of 400 people, was preparing 70th anniversary celebrations since its establishment. The members were ready to party with fireworks. Unfortunately, the neighborhood’s location within 600 meters from the border made it an easy target for the Hamas terrorists.  

Peretz explained that the T-shirt choice fit the planned celebration and dances accompanying the community’s event. Instead, Peretz confessed to using the T-shirt to secure the handle and prevent the attackers from accessing the same room. He revealed that the air raid sirens woke him and partner Eli Dudaei at 6:30 a.m. 

Proactive Training on Air Attack Save Residents From Hamas Terrorists

Peretz lauded the proactive training on air attacks for saving the residents from the attack by the Hamas terrorists. He recalls hurrying to the safe room alongside their dog. The facility served as the storage and would shield them from gunfire an hour later. He added that the attackers appeared outside their lawn speaking Arabic. 

Peretz attempted to stay quiet to avoid the gunmen attacking the house. He recalls laying blankets to prevent the dog’s paws from sliding against the floorboards. He admitted they feared the dog would bark, smoking them out of their hideout. 

Mr Peretz confessed that they were bidding their parents goodbye by Saturday morning when the kibbutz’s WhatsApp group suddenly featured messages that the attackers were killing the residents, burning houses, and breaking the safe rooms. 

Peretz recalls texting his mother to remain happy and encouraging her to attend the cousin’s wedding a month later, regardless of the outcome. The mother, identified as Sara, though not religious, ignored the air raid sirens and ran to the synagogue in Be’er Sheva to pray for the two partners.

Peretz would appear alongside Dudaei, and both were whisked away riding the motorcycle on Saturday morning. Further reports reveal that the Hamas terrorists kidnapped an 80-year-old woman in the area only to later parade her ferried in a golf cart within the Gaza streets. 

Peretz lauds the soldiers who managed to enter Nahal Oz kibbutz ten hours later to evacuate the survivors. The account shared by the survivors is terrifying as the fortunate members recall cheating death.