The attack on Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the many brutal assaults carried out by Hamas on October 7, left deep scars on the lives of its residents. For Nili Bar Sinai, a 73-year-old survivor, the harrowing events of that day will forever be etched in her memory. Yet, despite the immense personal loss, she holds onto a glimmer of hope for a future marked by coexistence and peace.
Nili’s testimony reveals the unthinkable terror she experienced as Hamas militants launched a coordinated assault on her community. Her voice is both somber and resolute as she recounts how what began as an ordinary morning was shattered by the deafening sound of rockets. “When the rockets started flying, my daughter texted me, ‘go to the safe room,’” she recalls. “We were too used to rockets to run for cover.”
But the rockets were just the beginning. Soon after, her daughter warned her of the presence of terrorists in the kibbutz. Showing remarkable courage, her husband Yuram, armed with only a pistol, went to investigate. He never returned. Nili describes the agonizing hours that followed, confined to the safe room, unaware of her husband’s fate. “I was sitting in the safe room doing some crossword puzzle… My husband didn’t show any signs.”
For more than 36 hours, she remained trapped, without electricity or water, isolated from the outside world. It was only after being evacuated by the soldiers that the full extent of the devastation became apparent. “I saw that I’m going out to a different world. This was not the kibbutz I knew,” she reflects, her voice heavy with grief and disbelief. Tragically, Nili lost not only her home but also her beloved husband, a man who, despite the ever-present threat of violence, had never wavered in his dedication to their community.
Yet, amid the sorrow, Nili’s message is not one of despair but of a cautious hope for a different future. “There is hope for the future on the condition that Hamas is defeated,” she tells SIR. But she believes that true change requires more than just the removal of a militant group. It depends on the fundamental reshaping of the values imparted to future generations. “It all depends on the women, on the mothers, on how they will raise their children, on how they will educate them: whether they will teach them to kill or to live together.”
Nili’s words are a poignant reminder that the seeds of peace are sown in the hearts and minds of children. She envisions a world where Palestinian mothers, like mothers everywhere, yearn for their children to pursue education, to contribute positively to society, and to thrive in a world free from violence. “I am sure that Palestinian mothers, like all mothers, want their children to go to school, to university, to help humanity grow and evolve,” she says.
But the presence of Hamas, she notes, is like a rock weighing down on Gaza. With the resources at its disposal, the group could have invested in the future of its people. Instead, she laments, they have chosen a path of destruction, using their funds to build underground tunnels and teach children to hate. “That is a doomed destiny.”
Nili’s testimony is more than just a personal account of loss and survival. It is a call to action, urging a collective reevaluation of the path forward. “There has to be a change of policy, otherwise there will be no hope for the future,” she asserts. Her words resonate beyond the immediate tragedy, challenging all who hear them to envision a world where coexistence and compassion triumph over division and hate.
In the wake of such a traumatic experience, Nili Bar Sinai’s resilience and hope for a future built on mutual understanding and respect offer a powerful testament to the human spirit’s capacity for renewal. Her voice, and the voices of those like her, must be heard and heeded if there is ever to be an end to the cycle of violence and a chance for lasting peace.
