hello I'm Michael aser welcome to Spotlight
those story shortly first though we turn our  

attention to the events of October 7 when 
Hamas terrorists launched a surprise attack  

on Israel and infiltrated the country by air 
Land and Sea perhaps the most shocking of all  

was the attack on a Rave Festival in southern 
Israel near the Gaza border footage posted on  

social media showed terrified concert goers 
being dragged into vehicles and driven back  

into Gaza at least 260 murdered victims were 
found at the venue after the attack Israel's  

response as we know was Swift war was declared 
and Gaza was bombarded with air strikes before  

Israeli troops entered with the aim of 
eradicating Hamas but just over a week  

and a half ago Israel approved a deal allowing 
for the release of at least 50 hostages over a  

4-day ceasefire period which was extended but 
has now come to a dramatic end now families  

in Israel and across the world are desperately 
awaiting the return of their loved ones While  

others deal with the pain of finding out their 
family member has been killed or still held  

hostage the Israeli Embassy has flown some of 
those families out to Australia here's Sarah

[Music]

gr she told me that that there's dead bodies there

shootings she doesn't really 
know what to do because they  

see terrorists everywhere the 
last message that I got from  

her was 1037 a texting saying that she's 
praying that someone will save [Music]

her

thank you both for doing this we really appreciate 
it [Music] yeah I think very few people could  

forget the image of Noah on the motorbike being 
taken by terrorists what was your initial reaction  

when you saw that I remember being at home 
seeing this video my friend sent it to me  

and told me if you think that's Noah I'm sorry 
she's with Hamas like don't don't send me fake  

videos I'm not sure who's this and cuz I wasn't 
sure and I wasn't ready to be sure right and  

then I saw the video that the it's obvious that 
it's her and the hopelessness that you feel I I  

know how she felt the hopelessness of not being 
able to do something while you're being taken  

is something uh I couldn't cope with I was angry 
I was sad I was everything I don't know Mak some

emotions at first it was missiles everywhere 
then you see terrorists with big propeller  

they made like seats with big paraglides for 
terrorists to to slide into Israel and to to  

land in Israel from above the uh walls of Gaza 
[Music] what would have been going through her  

mind in that moment and her boyfriend's mind 
he he he can't do anything to help her you  

know Natan is a big guy I believe Noah that he 
doesn't want to leave her but also there's a  

lot of stuff going around there's people dying 
and he saw people dying he saw people getting  

shoot he doesn't want to die we never thought 
something like that would be happen it's a  

situation no one has ever encountered right I 
don't think someone that watches this show or  

any else show like on TV has ever been kidnapped 
like it's it's something you can't even imagine  

that's a terrified girl there's your friend 
uh behind that face what has this done to her  

family Noah's mother is not in a good state she 
has brain cancer I don't know if you've seen uh  

there's a video going around right now that she 
talks and she really really doesn't have a lot of

[Music]

[Music]

time

the it's the wars not to know anything I was  

afraid all the time that somebody will 
call me and tell me that my son is a

body nobody got alive from this neighborhood

it's either dead or

kidnapped we have a four hours of messages and 
filming and that started to be more and more  

more and more severe and he he is letting 
us know that there are terrorist inside his  

kib boots inside the room shooting on the rooms 
inside the room lighting the fire of inside the  

house they light the gas the gas the cooking 
gas and they light and everything was that's  

what he wrote us that it's have fire inside the 
house and they cannot breathe he afraid that he  

will not survive he is telling us that he loves 
us and if he will not survive this I love you I  

love you but I don't know if I will sur survive 
that please come to help me please send some  

somebody please it's urgent please it's my last 
moment like this this was the the words it's it's  

it's a matter of moments I prayed that my son 
is kidnapped because the other choice will be

[Music] dead

so how did you eventually find out that y was 
in Gaza after one week H we got a telephone from  

the army they found they located the telephone 
they located it in Gaza so that was the first  

proof of life but it was not true there are 
also reading from the paper that it doesn't  

mean anything that it doesn't mean he's alive 
doesn't mean he's there just the telephone so  

do they share with you how they know he's alive no 
they're not sharing anything just telling you and  

you are not asking also me we we know that they 
cannot tell what they can tell they [Music] tell  

and just few days ago we got another uh update 
that is alive because you know things can happen  

there some people come in alive and come back 
dead so he is alive yet and he is well that's  

what we know not also again not details but we 
know that he is alive any so when was this update  

Iris just two days ago I got it while you're in 
Australia while I'm here what was that moment

like very good very happy H relief 
a lot of very good feelings and

[Music]

happiness Rony was probably the first 
one to see what's happening 6:30 were  

the rocket barrage on their post also on 
the entire country and immediately they saw  

all the the people the the terrorists 
the Hamas terrorists are just getting  

in toward their base and ripping up the 
defense and just storming in hundreds of

them Roni was called a communication or Lookout 
her job was to look at uh the cameras and the  

videos that are fitting in from the border she 
was B 1 km inside uh of Israel on the Gaza border  

and her job was just uh to sit and to watch any 
activity Terror activity against uh Israel what  

sort of contact did Ronnie have with her family 
that morning the only communication that we had  

with her was at 927 just I remember this exact 
time she texted her mom not from her from from  

her friends form mom don't worry for me I'm okay 
I have no reception I have no self reception and  

her mom says I love you and she replied again 
don't worry for me I'm okay I love you too and  

four uh Emoji hearts of red hearts that was 
the last [Music] communication so we were a  

little bit uh okay and then when we heard from 
her we said okay we're relaxed for a few hours  

but then we see the the thing is going on and 
going on and not stopping we started to to get  

really [Music] worried so five weeks in you 
found out that Ronnie had died H how did she  

die she we we believe that we know there was 
a big fire at the end because they couldn't  

break in and what we heard from the survivors 
that they started to choke uh to suffocate from  

uh the smoke it was very thick very dark so 
what we believe is that they all suffocated  

from smoke because the terrorists had set fire 
to the command CER yes yes yes it was a terrible  

fire and maybe this is the reason why it took 
them five weeks to confirm uh Ron's [Music]

death Israel has said the goal 
is to eradicate Hamas but in the  

process innocent Palestinian are 
being killed on a on a personal  

level you say you're a father is that 
difficult to watch do you grapple with

that yes but like I said my main I'm 100% focused 
now on keeping my children uh safe it was a  

massacre a Slaughter it was a genocide plain and 
[Applause] simple I never thought to will happen  

such a thing I thought okay there sometimes they 
throw bombs and okay we can deal with them but  

after seven for me first of all I need to be 
secure in my my home I need security and I'm  

sure that every country in the world um will think 
the same if they have that threat this is a really  

situation I you just stand by and give them a 
what did you make of the pro Palestinian activists  

who stormed your hotel this week what happened 
on Wednesday was you know so wrong on so many  

levels because first if you have a problem with my 
government and my government policy you you know  

you need to protest with against my government 
there is a place to that but going after families  

who lost their dear ones the loved ones going 
after families who they're uh sons and brothers  

and friends are still in captivity under unknown 
conditions that's in my view is completely off

limits you were flown here by the government it's 
a video of her getting kidnapped some people might  

consider this part of a wider PR campaign or 
propaganda for Military Support what would you  

say to those people we met with diplomats we met 
with politicians we met with Parliament people  

prime minister but the thing is that in every 
meet every one of these meetings not talking about  

politics there's no politics in in these meetings 
there's in these conversations it's all about the

stories what's it been like seeing other reunions 
this week and still waiting for your friend for  

me personally I understood she wasn't going to 
be released because they said the categories  

for mothers and uh kids under 18 she's not a 
mother or a kid and that means for me she's  

not getting uh free but still I could never be 
happy here when when uh Mika's brother uh Rel  

was released I just got a message that my brother 
Amani got released from Gaza and I'm beyond happy  

I can't even explain my feelings I'm currently 
in Australia in a delegation from Israel and  

I'm going to take a flight right now back home 
to see him and meet him again after almost I  

was really happy for them but in the same time 
you're still wondering like like will it ever  

be my time like her time will she ever come out 
and do you feel like time is running out well  

of course not just for the war but the M like 
you know they have to be reunited they have

to

[Music]

we cannot imagine cannot believe 
that my son is there and going  

through that do you imagine what the 
day will be like when you do see your

time yes I imagine I see him coming I see him 
going off out out of the like ambulance and  

meeting with us the family we are really waiting 
for him and we really see that day it can happen  

tomorrow can happen two days from now we said 
maybe in kanuka kanuka is the miracle holiday  

of isra of Jewish people you know hanuka is the 
the little little little oil was enough for eight  

days of candles so we called it holiday of 
Miracles so maybe this holiday will be the

Miracle on Friday word came through Israel had 
ended the ceasefire an hour before it was due  

to expire despite hopes it would be extended 
Israel accused Hamas of violating the terms  

of the agreement by not releasing all of the 
female hostages and launching Rockets Hamas  

claims Israel refused to accept all offers to 
release the other hostages now the fighting  

is continuing hundreds more are dead and 
the families we've spoken to tonight will  

have to wait even longer to be reunited with 
their loved ones seeven news of course will  

keep you across all developments in Israel and 
Gaza has this deadly conflict sadly continues