Yonatan Shamriz spent most of his life in Kfar Aza. On the morning of Saturday, October 7, 2023, he was awakened by sirens blaring across this small town on the Gaza border. "I've lived in Kfar Aza for most of my life, and sadly, sirens have been a regular part of it. They come and go, but this time felt different. My middle brother Alon, who was part of the emergency security team, sent me a message saying terrorists had invaded our community and advised us to lock ourselves in our safe room. We started receiving terrifying messages on our WhatsApp group about terrorists breaking into homes, shooting, throwing grenades, and setting fires to houses to force people out of their safe rooms.

At 10 AM, Alon messaged me again, saying terrorists had entered his house. I replied, telling him I loved him and urged him to stay strong no matter what. Two minutes later, at 10:02, he sent a sad emoji, and that was the last time I heard from him. Alon was taken hostage into Gaza.

On December 15, three hostages who were trying to escape from their captors were mistakenly killed by IDF soldiers in a tragic accident, a devastating blow to the Shamriz family and all of Israel.

Due to the displacement, the residents of Kfar Aza, including Yonatan and his wife Natalie, relocated to Netanya. Just last month, Natalie gave birth to their second son at Laniado Hospital. For the family, this joyous occasion marks the first moment of light and hope since the loss of their brother.