On October 7, Michael, Amelia, and Avigail Idan watched their parents being murdered by Hamas terrorists at their home in Kibbutz Kfar Azza.
Avigail, then 3, ran to her neighbor’s home, where she was then abducted to Gaza along with the neighbors, one of the youngest Israelis kidnapped.
Meanwhile, Michael, 9, and Amelia, 6, bravely hid from Hamas terrorists for 14 hours with the guidance of a resourceful Magen David Adom dispatcher.
Michael called the police from his home and was connected to MDA dispatcher Linoy Al-Ezra. Al-Ezra asked Michael a series of questions to try to understand the situation in his home. He told her that his mother was bleeding from gunshot wounds and was unresponsive. Al-Ezra understood that Michael and Amelia were in great danger and instructed them on how to stay safe, according to interviews she conducted with Israeli news stations.
Al-Ezra told Michael to lock their home’s front door and remove the key, take Amelia’s hand, go to their safe room, and close the door. Michael told her that the safe room door was too heavy, so she suggested that the two children hide under the bed together. He told her that they couldn’t fit. Next, Al-Ezra told Michael and Amelia to hide in the safe room closet, close the door, and not to open it unless there was someone they knew there. The two children hid there for 14 hours without food or water.
Al-Ezra was impressed with Michael’s focus and resourcefulness; throughout the call she could hear gunfire from automatic weapons. Their kibbutz was a combat zone and was overrun with terrorists. She told Michael that he could call MDA back if he felt scared or if he needed more help. He called several times more that day. Throughout it all, Michael was calm and brave, and kept himself and his sister safe.
That night, their uncle Amit Idan led a force of IDF soldiers to the house. They knocked on the door and told the children that they came to rescue them. Still remembering the instructions they received from Al-Ezra that morning, the children wouldn’t open the door, even after the soldiers identified themselves, called the children by name, and told them they were there to rescue them. It wasn’t until their uncle said his own name that they opened the door.
Al-Ezra met the children’s grandparents and aunt in an emotional segment on national Israeli television where she was able to tell them how brave the children are and they were able to thank her for helping to save Michael and Amelia.
The three young Idan siblings are finally reunited after little Avigail, now four, was held hostage for over a month. They now live with their uncle Amit who rescued them and his family according to the New York Times.
