David and Rachel Edry were saved by a police force that included their two sons
On Saturday, October 7th, Simchat Torah in Israel, five armed Hamas gunmen invaded David and Rachel Edry’s home in the southern town of Ofakim, as part of the large-scale surprise attacks.
David Edry told Israel’s Channel 12 News that the gunmen forced the couple upstairs and threatened to kill them. The couple were held captive at gunpoint and under threat of an unpinned grenade.
“I said to my husband, if we will die, we will die together,” Rachel Edry said.
Buying Time
Rachel said she tried to buy some time in the hope that her two sons, both police officers, would help Israel’s YAMAM counterterrorism force rescue them.
“I hosted them as best I could. I joked around with them. I saw they were mad, and I asked them if they were hungry,” she said. “I made them coffee and gave them cookies. They started singing [Israeli singer] Lior Narkis songs to me. I distracted them. I did it all to stay alive. I knew my sons were helping the YAMAM and that they would come rescue me.”
Fifteen Hours In – A Miracle
Israeli special forces killed the Hamas militants and freed David and Rachel Edry after they had been held for 15 hours.
“At 2:30am, a grenade landed next to us, and I jumped on top of my wife,” David said. “Bullets flew over our heads. I have no idea how we survived.”
Neighbors flocked to the house following the ordeal, finding two Israeli police officers in control of the situation. All five terrorists had been killed.
The Edrys escaped mostly unharmed, with Rachel suffering only a minor wound from a special rescue dog who accidentally scratched her.
“It was a miracle, and it’s uplifting because it shows Gd is watching over us and that with His help we have the wits and humanity to best our enemies’ bestial brutality even when our backs are against the wall,” said Daniel Mualem, the 33-year-old neighbor of the Edrys.
“Instead of killing us, the terrorists ran to various locations and hid until they were shot at,” Rachel said. “I want to thank the police. They are our heroes.”
One of the members of the rescue team responded to Rachel’s gratitude by saying, “No Rachel, we’re not the heroes… You’re the hero!”