IDF soldier Ori Magidish, who was rescued from captivity in Gaza in an IDF operation in early November, met with philanthropists from the US on Thursday and spoke about what she experienced on October 7th.

“There were many loud noises,” said Magidish, who was serving as a surveillance soldier on the Nachal Oz military base on October 7th. “We woke up from them and all the girls and I ran to seek shelter. We said goodbye to our families over the phone and after a while, we heard a lot of screaming and gunfire.”

“There were soldiers in the shelter protecting us with their weapons but it wasn’t enough. There were 20 female soldiers and just four weapons. I was injured by the grenades the terrorists threw – on my head, legs and chest. There was a moment of silence, and then they entered and fired into the shelter.”

“Out of 20 girls, only seven survived the shooting, and I was one of them. We then waited there for another four hours. We didn’t know where the army was but still hoped someone would come to rescue us. Nothing happened, and then they [Hamas] abducted us.”

Magidish told the donors that five of her friends from the base were abducted to the Gaza Strip, and one of them was murdered in captivity. “Noa Marciano was my best friend at the base. She was killed in captivity, and soldiers brought her body back,” she said.

One of the philanthropists asked Magidish what gave her strength while she was in captivity. She replied, “I am a person of faith. I believe in Hashem; I know He exists.”

“When I was abducted, I felt He would save me. I davened every day, not from a siddur but from my heart. I felt the presence of my grandmother who was nifteres, my grandfather and my cousin. I clung to them and believed I would get out, if not through a deal, then a rescue operation. I trusted my country and my army, and that gave me the strength to continue believing.”

She added that before being rescued, she felt that Israeli security forces would arrive. “I can’t explain it but I knew they were coming that day and I knew they wouldn’t leave me there. I was very moved when I saw them,” she said.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)