Yamit, 36, from Ofakim, is married to a police officer serving in a classified position and is the mother of Liam, 11, Shoham, 10, and Niv, 5. She was seriously wounded while working at the Nova festival, suffering a shattered femur and pelvic bone.
Position at the time of her injury: After completing her military service with the Border Police, she joined the Israel Police. Seven months before she was wounded, she returned to the Border Police in a command role as policing coordinator for the Merhavim Regional Council.
On Oct. 7, Yamit arrived at 6:30 a.m. to provide security at the Nova festival as additional paid work, just as the rocket interceptions began. “The force commander stopped the party. We went between the tents and started getting people out,” she says. “Because of his order, about 2,000 partygoers managed to leave the site before everything happened.”
“At around 6:50 we started hearing gunfire and didn’t understand what it was. We had already heard about the infiltration in Sderot, but we never imagined they would reach us too.”
“At around 7 a.m., wounded people started arriving at our command post and told us there were also people who had been killed. We had one ambulance, and it had already left with wounded people. We called for more ambulances and couldn’t understand why they weren’t arriving.”
“Suddenly we heard ‘Allahu Akbar’ over the radio and realized the terrorists had taken over police vehicles.”
“Police officer Debbie Avraham, of blessed memory, who was running the command post, told me, ‘There’s no army. We’re alone. We’re not getting out of here.’ Unfortunately, she didn’t survive.”
“I called my husband and told him there were terrorists and they were shooting at us. He said, ‘I’m on my way to you.’ He managed to reach the area near Rachel Edri’s house in Ofakim, but by then I had already been wounded and sent him a goodbye message.”
'Suddenly we heard ‘Allahu Akbar’ over the radio and realized the terrorists had taken over police vehicles'
(Photo: Courtesy)
What happened from that moment?
“At 8:50, three pickup trucks packed with terrorists arrived. They started shooting, throwing grenades, firing RPGs, everything.”
“Debbie ran toward the forest, and I stayed with officers Shoham Mugrabi and Liat, who told me she had a car. We got into her vehicle and drove off, and then a heavy burst of gunfire hit the car. I was hit in the back. We later learned it was shrapnel.”
“We started driving toward Ofakim. At some point we encountered a terrorist roadblock and stopped right next to them. I can still remember the eyes of the terrorist standing in front of me.”
“Liat immediately made a U-turn back toward the festival, but by then another bullet hit me in the thigh and shattered my pelvis as well.”
“We drove off-road, the car got stuck, we got out and started running. We hid behind a bush that didn’t really conceal us. We could hear the terrorists getting closer, and we decided to keep one final bullet. We said there was no chance in the world that they were taking us alive.”
“I started losing blood. I knew this was the end for me. I sent my husband my location and a message saying I loved him and asking him to take care of the children.”
“My husband isn’t someone who gives up. Eventually he managed to reach me with the forces. It was unbelievable, like seeing angels come down from the sky.”
“They arrived fully equipped and prepared, and even that wasn’t enough. A hellish battle began until reinforcements arrived, killed the terrorists and evacuated me to Soroka.”
What was the damage?
“The bullet broke my femur and pelvic bone, and I was also hit by shrapnel in the back. The doctor said the bullet passed within a hair’s breadth of a major artery, and that another 20 minutes and there would have been no one left to talk to because I had lost so much blood.”
And emotionally?
“I became a different person. I don’t leave the house alone, only with my husband. I don’t leave doors open. I’m constantly thinking about where I’ll hide the children when they come again.”
“My husband has his own crashes too. We changed. We’re less attentive to the children, we have less patience, and the children are struggling too.”
“I really am not myself. I’m not a mother, I’m not a wife, I’m nothing. I went through a very difficult rehabilitation. People had to bathe me, lift me. I became dependent on nursing care. But thank God, I’m slowly making progress.”
Did your marriage survive what happened?
“Absolutely. There’s no doubt we had lows, but ultimately we grew from it. My husband was prepared to die to save me, so I don’t think there’s anything greater than that.”
What do you miss most about your old life?
“The uniform. The job. I knew how to enjoy taking a flight abroad, and today I enjoy it less. I was independent and suddenly I’m dependent. It’s not pleasant having to depend on someone else.”
What is the greatest difficulty?
“Finding meaning. I used to be a police officer. I had a purpose.”
“Now, in the morning, the children go to school, my husband goes to work and I’m left alone.”
“The Border Police gave me the best support system I could have asked for. They call, they visit, they give gifts to the children. They told me, ‘Choose whatever position you want, and it’s yours.’”
“I wore a uniform for 17 years. I need a moment to find myself again, with all the limitations.”