Emergency medic and an ambulance driver in Magen David Adom (MDA), Rafi Samet, was at his home in kibbutz Kissufim when the October 7 attacks began, Israel's emergency service, Magen David Adom (MDA) explained in a Friday press release.
On that black Shabbat, Hamas terrorists broke through the Gaza border and brutally slaughtered their way through southern Israel. Around 1200 people were murdered in the attack and over 230 were taken hostage.
At least 70 terrorists entered Kissufim, murdering eight kibbutz members and six Thai foreign workers, taking four kibbutz members hostage and causing heavy damage to buildings.
"The evening before the start of the war, I was on standby and parked the ambulance near my house, and at 06:30 in the morning on Saturday the rocket alarms started going off,” Samet recalled.
“I dressed quickly and was ready to leave in case there was a rocket fell in the kibbutz. It's like this as usual - we wait for the falls to stop and go out to scan for the wounded."
But this Saturday was nothing like usual.
"This time it was different, unusual. We started hearing grenades and IEDs falling and exploding.”
Terrorists disguised as soldiers
"My grandson, a soldier who was on Shabbat leave at home, took his personal weapon and went out to shield himself from the missiles. After a few minutes he went outside and saw a group of soldiers standing there. He approached them to ask them if they needed help.”
To Samet and his grandson’s horror, the group did not consist of soldiers but of Hamas terrorists that had stolen IDF uniforms to disguise themselves. One of the terrorists shot at Samet’s grandson, hitting him in the left arm and thighs.
“Despite being shot, he managed to get to my house and show me that he was injured. I put him in the safe room and ran out to the ambulance to get the bag with the medical equipment,” Samet said.
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Samet quickly found himself in danger and injured as well.
“On the way I was also shot at and hit by a bullet in the palm of my hand. I kept running home, quickly bandaged myself and continued to my grandson.”
“I sent a message to the MDA volunteer group and said that I needed to be evacuated. The thought came to me to see the condition of the ambulance but when I checked, it was completely destroyed. They shot all four wheels, the wall and the windows.”
Samet managed to treat himself and his grandson, and the two held out until the IDF arrived to repel the terrorists.
Once the terrorists were defeated, the soldiers were able to evacuate kibbutz residents who had been trapped in their homes. The kibbutz residents were evacuated to a Dead Sea hotel on Saturday night.
“We were saved by a miracle, " Samet said.