For the first time since the October 7 massacre, Maayan Eliaz has spoken publicly about the death of his son, Tomer Eliaz-Arava, who was murdered in Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
Tomer’s story became known worldwide after Hamas terrorists live-streamed footage on Facebook during the attack, forcing him to call out to fellow kibbutz members sheltering in their homes in an attempt to lure them outside.
“At first, I thought they were soldiers,” Maayan recalled in the interview with Kan Reshet Bet. “But once I realized the truth, everything collapsed.”
Speaking from his home in Kibbutz Mefalsim, Eliaz described the unbearable sense of helplessness that haunts him to this day.
“I wanted to drop everything and run to Nahal Oz. I know the area well. I told myself I could get there. But I didn’t. I stayed. And that decision drags me down every single day, even knowing what the outcome would have been for me.”
