65-Year-Old Israeli Woman
During the Israel-Hamas war, Rachel Edri, a 65-year-old Israeli woman, found herself facing a life-threatening situation when Hamas operatives armed with grenades appeared in her living room. What makes her story remarkable is her quick-witted survival strategy, which has turned her into an unlikely folk hero in Israel.
When the armed terrorists entered her home, Rachel Edri responded with remarkable composure. She served them coffee and Moroccan cookies in an effort to deceive them while she awaited police intervention. Her actions were a clever ruse to buy time until law enforcement arrived.
Her heroic tale came to light when her police officer son, Evyatar, found his mother being held hostage by an armed terrorist for a grueling 20 hours. This harrowing ordeal took place in the family’s own home.
As the son entered the scene, he saw his mother being restrained at the neck by one of the operatives who held a grenade in his other hand, posing a grave threat. In a remarkable display of communication, Rachel signaled to her son with her five spread fingers on her face, indicating that there were five hostage-takers in their home. This discreet message conveyed the urgency and complexity of the situation.
A Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) team was deployed, and they took over the rescue operation from Evyatar, who had initially confronted the captors with a pistol.
Rachel and her husband David, who were both held hostage, described their survival strategy during those arduous hours. Rachel’s actions included cooking for her captors and keeping them occupied with coffee and cookies. She even asked for Arabic lessons to engage with the terrorists. Her intention was to humanize herself and her husband in the eyes of the captors, in hopes of ensuring their survival.
“I knew that if they are hungry, they are angry,” Rachel explained. “I told him I had to inject insulin, trying to distract them from the fact I have children who are police officers … I offered them drinks: Coke Zero, water.”
Rachel’s ability to use humor and connect with the captors on a personal level was an astonishing feat given the circumstances. She jokingly said, “I’ll teach you Hebrew, and you’ll teach me Arabic,” all in a bid to create a rapport and divert the focus from the life-and-death situation they were in.
The couple’s ordeal finally came to an end after midnight when the SWAT team successfully rescued them.
During his visit to Israel, U.S. President Joe Biden expressed solidarity with the country in the wake of Hamas attacks. He also emphasized the importance of caution in removing the threat posed by Hamas. In his address, he drew a parallel to the United States’ response after 9/11, acknowledging that while seeking justice, there were mistakes made.
Biden’s visit to Israel came shortly after a tragic incident where an explosion at the Ahli Arab hospital in the Gaza Strip led to the loss of over 500 lives. The incident sparked fury in Arab countries, many of which placed blame on Israel for the bombing.
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