10 months ago
Taking retired his mobile phone, Hamid Abu Ar'ara wants to show america a short video and past a photograph. It will not make for easy viewing, for immoderate of us.
The movie is taken from a postulation camera astatine a agrarian T-junction, not acold from nan Israeli separator pinch nan Gaza Strip. It is 7.05am connected nan greeting of October 7 – aliases 'Black Saturday' arsenic Hamid and truthful galore different Israelis describes nan day.
As nan footage begins, a achromatic Hyundai appears from nan broadside road. It stops, dutifully, because 4 motorcycles are approaching from nan left. A fatal mistake.
Each motorcycle carries 2 men and, arsenic they move into nan roadworthy from which nan Hyundai has emerged, each pillion rider rakes nan stationary car pinch automatic gunfire.
We tin spot nan windows dissolve into a haze of glass, bullets bounce disconnected nan road. The car has stopped, for ever.
This is nan infinitesimal Hamas gunmen opened occurrence on Hamid Abu Ar'ara's car sidesplitting is woman connected nan October 7 panic attacks successful Israel. He past endured an epic seven-hour survivial ordeal
Hamid Abu Ar'ara (left), a Bedouin farmer, pictured pinch his boy Elias, aged eight
Fatima's (pictured) execution was only nan commencement of an epic, seven-hour ordeal, arsenic Hamid strove to prevention himself, their wounded eight-month-old boy Elias and different Bedouin
Hamid scrolls further into his phone's image room and finds different image. It is simply a photograph of a middle-aged woman. She is wearing a hijab and is covered successful blood, slumped lifeless crossed nan steering instrumentality of nan aforesaid Hyundai.
Hamid, a reliable Bedouin farmer, originates to weep quietly. This is his 'beloved' wife, Fatima, who had been driving him to work, arsenic she did each day, until they met pinch Hamas.
Fatima's execution was only nan commencement of an epic, seven-hour ordeal, arsenic Hamid strove to prevention himself, their wounded eight-month-old boy Elias and different Bedouin, aft they were caught astatine nan very epicentre of nan blood-letting.
Theirs is surely 1 of astir bonzer endurance stories to person emerged from nan October 7 massacres. But it besides serves to propulsion ray connected an under-reported facet of nan atrocities; really Hamas gunmen did not hesitate to execute aliases kidnap chap Muslims whom they came crossed during their two-day rampage.
Yesterday, Mail photographer Jamie Wiseman and I travelled to nan Negev godforsaken successful confederate Israel wherever immoderate 200,000 members of Israel's Bedouin Arab organization unrecorded successful tumbledown towns aliases villages and much accepted nomadic encampments.
We said to Bedouin families whose members were either killed aliases taken hostage by Hamas. As their tribal civilization mostly transcends nationalist borders, their group mostly inhabit nan physical, economical and societal margins of Israeli society. But not marginal capable for Hamas's terrorists.
They clasp Israeli citizenship and, while not drafted into nan army, for illustration Israeli Jews aliases Druze, astir 1,500 Bedouin volunteers service pinch their ain ray infantry regiment, aliases arsenic master trackers to different IDF units.
Hamid mislaid his 'beloved' wife, Fatima, who had been driving him to work, arsenic she did each day, until they met pinch Hamas
Hamid and Fatima had 7 sons and 2 daughters. The youngest is Elias and, astatine 6.40am connected Black Saturday, Fatima drove them – her hubby has nary licence – from their location successful Rahat towards nan hothouse herb business that Hamid ran successful Mivtahim, little than 5 miles from nan Gaza boundary.
Two Bedouin workplace labourers, a begetter and a son, were sitting either broadside of Elias who was successful a babe chair connected nan backmost seat.
'After nan motorcycles passed us, I tried to raise Fatima from wherever she had fallen. And that is erstwhile I saw she had been deed 20 times,' Hamid, 47, recalls. He says nan gunmen must person known she was of their ain faith.
'We're a belief Muslim family and she wore accepted headdress of a devout woman. It is inconceivable they could not spot who was inside. They were 5 metres distant from her arsenic they passed and nan model was rolled down.
'She said she could not consciousness her legs. Her caput was unfastened and I could spot her brain. I knew she was adjacent to death. Being a devout Muslim, I asked her to opportunity nan shahada prayer, which you opportunity earlier you die. She said it 4 times and earlier nan 5th clip she was dead.
'That was not nan end,' says Hamid. 'I sewage retired of nan car and opened Fatima's doorway and closed her eyes. Then I called nan police, who answered but said they were being overwhelmed. They said they would get to maine arsenic soon arsenic they could.'
The survivors were connected their own.
Hamid heard nan young labourer who had been sitting down Fatima calling for help. He had besides taken nan brunt of nan attack.
'We pulled him retired of nan car and laid him nether a tree. He said nan last dream and, a fewer minutes later, he excessively passed away.'
Baby Elias had besides been hit, by a slug part betwixt his enarthrosis blades. 'My boy was successful shock, unnaturally still. I shook him and he started crying. Then we had to look for a spot to hide.'
The only sanctuary was a derelict hut by nan roadside. 'We closed nan doorway and waited for rescue.'
It would beryllium a agelong and terrifying vigil. Hamas was each astir and nan somesthesia soared.
'The babe was still breastfeeding,' says Hamid. 'We had 1 vessel of look that Fatima had prepared for nan journey. That soon ran retired and my boy grew very unhappy. He was crying and that became very vulnerable for us.'
At astir noon, arsenic he hid successful a hut, Hamid looked done a ace successful nan metallic doorway and saw that Hamas terrorists had returned to nan junction. Their location seemed to person go a rendezvous for groups of gunmen who went disconnected connected bikes, pick-ups and stolen cars to onslaught adjacent communities.
'For 5 hours, I secretly observed them coming and going, shooting and sidesplitting location and coming back. Then 1 group near and almost instantly returned and I grew moreover much concerned.
'It seemed they wanted to group up an ambush astatine nan junction. And truthful 4 of them hid down our hut. I could perceive them discussing nan situation. They were only centimetres distant from us.'
It was past that Elias began crying again.
'I heard them speak and opportunity that they had heard baby. I heard them [cocking] their guns. They were coming to decorativeness maine off. But past I heard Hebrew from nan different side. I heard nan service had come.
'It was past nan firefight started, pinch america caught successful nan middle.
'At first nan soldiers were confused. I deliberation nan first Hamas changeable deed 1 of them. Then, everyone was firing. I laic down and covered my son. The soldiers were firing into nan hut.'
I asked him what would person happened if he had stepped retired and tried to logic pinch nan Hamas gunman, pleading that he was a Muslim civilian.
'Are you insane?' Hamid responds, pinch incredulity. 'Have you sewage power stroke? First of all, do not beryllium impressed by immoderate humanitarian gestures from Hamas. They are only calculated for nan overseas press. They are sidesplitting machines.
'The logic I could not entreaty to them arsenic a Muslim is that they already killed my wife. While successful nan hut I besides heard and saw them extremity 2 different Bedouin guys successful a car astatine nan junction. The guys said we are Arabs, Bedouin. Hamas put their guns into their car and killed them astatine constituent blank range.'
He says: 'I had to make a speedy decision. I was blessed by Allah pinch a beardown heart. At that moment, I had to take really we were going to die. There was a lull successful nan weapon conflict and I thought soldiers would now hole to propulsion grenades astatine nan hut. I would alternatively dice by bullets.'
He took disconnected his garment to show that he was not wearing a termination vest, hugged Elias to his thorax and opened nan doorway of nan hut that faced nan IDF.
'At once, they fired astatine me. They missed but deed nan metallic doors and I sewage shrapnel from them successful my back.
'Then I heard a commandant shouting 'ceasefire' and 'this must beryllium nan feline who sent america nan reports from nan junction'. There were tons of hugs. The officers were grateful'.
What Hamid says adjacent is unexpected amid nan polarised and venomous communicative of nan existent war.
'The soldiers said I was a hero,' says Hamid. 'I told them: 'I americium a national of this state [Israel] and I was only doing my duty'.'
But what of nan Hamas gunmen that were down nan hut? 'The correct occupation was done,' he nods, implying they died successful nan firefight.
As we talk, an unexpected fig walks done nan door. It is simply a huge, heavy bearded, Jewish unpaid medic, wearing a yarmulke and carrying a handbasket of consequence arsenic a gift. 'At last, I've recovered you, again,' he says to Hamid. This is Arial, who was nan first paramedic responder connected nan segment erstwhile Hamid and his boy were rescued.
'Hamid was screaming each nan measurement to hospital: 'They murdered my wife!' Arial recalls. 'The babe was successful full shock. I bandaged his wound.'
The Bedouin and nan Jew hug.
Night has fallen complete nan Negev. In a adjacent thoroughfare we telephone astatine nan location of Dr Tarek Abu Arara, who connected October 7 had stopped his car connected nan roadworthy adjacent Sderot to thief what appeared to beryllium nan unfortunate of an accident.
The 'casualty' was successful truth a Hamas gunman who motioned nan Bedouin to approach, past changeable him successful nan thorax from 10 metres.
Dr Tarek is asleep, recovering from his ordeal. But he has recalled that aft being shot, Hamas interrogated him connected his knowledge of Islam and, for 2 hours, utilized him arsenic quality shield against Israeli airstrikes arsenic they massacred nan passengers of passing cars.
During this time, 1 of nan gunmen changeable nan expert successful a limb to forestall him from escaping and signalled pinch his manus that nan adjacent slug would beryllium successful his head.
'I started bleeding rather massively,' recalled Dr Tarek. 'I prayed for a miracle. I was convinced I was going to die.'
He was yet rescued by Israeli information forces aft different deadly shoot-out.
Dr Tarek says: 'I person dedicated my full life to helping others and I had to involuntarily witnesser this unspeakable massacre that was carried retired earlier my eyes and I could not do anything.
'It was horrifying.'
