Saving lives on “Death Street” as an Israeli kindergarten teacher became a hero on the battlefield on October 7th

SOUTH ISRAEL – Tali Hadad is a 49-year-old mother of six and kindergarten teacher whose days would normally be spent teaching five-year-olds basic reading, math and social skills. She never imagined that one day she would be forced to make life-or-death decisions while under fire in the middle of a war zone.

But on October 7, 2023, she found herself in unimaginable circumstances.

When Hamas launched its attack at 6:45 a.m., she awoke to the sound of sirens and gunfire in her hometown of Ofakim, a small working-class town in southern Israel, 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the Gaza border. The piercing alarms that filled the air signaled that this was not an ordinary missile attack that much of the region had become accustomed to over the years.

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Tali Hadad holds her son's gun next to the car she used to evacuate the injured. (Tali Hadad)

Hadad knew immediately that her family was in great danger.

Her son Itamar, a soldier in officer training, was home on vacation over the weekend. As the shots got closer, he grabbed his rifle, fully aware that there was fighting right outside their door. Without hesitation, he ran towards the terrorists. Hadad, still in her pajamas, quickly slipped on running shoes and chased after him, her maternal instincts taking over.

“I ran to the playground,” Hadad told Fox News Digital. “I hid behind a wall and saw a line of terrorists with guns walking in the direction my son had gone.” Moments later she heard gunshots. “I knew Itamar was in the middle of it. I waited, hoping he would come out, but he didn't. So I ran towards him.”

As shots rang out around them, Hadad dodged through alleys and watched the devastation unfold. “People were screaming out the windows, begging for help,” she said. “But no ambulances came, no one to save her.”

Residents of Ofakim engage in street battles with terrorists who have infiltrated the community, in a photo obtained by Fox News.

Then she saw Itamar. He was shot multiple times – in the stomach, leg and thigh. Two of his comrades lay dead on the ground next to him.

“He looked at me and said, 'Mom, what are you doing here?' I told him, 'You're hurt, I'm taking you to the hospital,'” she recalls.

Israeli soldiers take up positions in the southern Israeli city of Ofakim on October 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Ilan Assayag)

With gunfire still ringing around her, Hadad sprinted back to her house, jumped into the family car and drove straight back to her son. “They put Itamar in the car with other wounded people and I drove as fast as I could, 120 kilometers per hour, to the Magen David Adom (Israel's national emergency medical service) station at the entrance to the city,” she said. “I knew if I drove slowly the terrorists would shoot me.”

After handing Itamar over to the paramedics, she made a fateful decision. “I told him, ‘Mom isn’t coming. You go with the ambulance, I'll come later. I have to go back and help the others.'”

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Graphic photo alert: Itamar Hadad after being shot by terrorists. Itamar is still doing physical therapy, but after his recovery he plans to rejoin his army unit. (Tali Hadad)

Hadad returned to the scene of the fighting and made three more trips, rescuing a total of 13 people, all under constant fire. “People tried to stop me,” she said. “They told me it was too dangerous, but I took Itamar's rifle and knew I had to do this. I had no choice but to act.”

After hours of intense fighting between police, Yamam Special Forces forces, armed civilians and off-duty soldiers, Israeli forces regained control of the city. A helicopter arrived to evacuate the wounded. Only then could Hadad leave her role as rescuer behind and check on her son in the hospital. Itamar had survived, but his road to recovery would be long.

Israeli soldiers in the southern Israeli town of Ofakim on Sunday, October 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Ilan Assayag)

“Half of the rehabilitation is physical and the other half is mental,” Itamar Hadad told Fox News Digital, reflecting on the traumatic events of that day, the friends he lost in the battle and those he loved Since then in Gaza, where his unit was stationed, Sayeret Nahal has suffered many casualties. Despite the pain, his dream remains to return to his unit and continue fighting in the ongoing multi-front war.

Citizens of Ofakim wondered whether the people running in the streets were terrorists or Israeli forces coming to rescue them. In a photo obtained by Fox News, some of the terrorists wore Israeli uniforms. (Photo obtained from Fox News)

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On October 7, 47 of Ofakim's 50,000 residents were murdered, and the street where Hadad lives became known as Rechov Ha'Mavet – “Death Street”.

A year after the attack, Ofakim is rebuilding. Death Street, once a symbol of horror, has been renovated. The city has erected a monument, painted murals and planted olive trees – a sign of life replacing destruction.

Tali, her husband and six children, five of whom are now on active duty in the IDF. (Tali Hadad)

“We have collected the pieces, all the memories of the victims, and are trying to breathe life back into the destroyed place,” Hadad said.

Ofakim was not among the many southern towns and settlements that were relocated to other parts of Israel. But the psychological scars remain. The waiting list for trauma counseling has grown and is overwhelming the available therapists. In response, the Israel Psychoanalytic Society and the NGO IsraAid set up a multidisciplinary trauma center that provides free psychological support to survivors of the massacre.

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Tali Hadad pictured at her home in Ofakim. Like so many others, she became an unlikely heroine on October 7th. (Amnon Arad)

Hadad, like many others in Ofakim and across the country, continues to struggle with the emotional fallout. “We’re still bleeding,” she said. For her, the experience was life-changing. She has not returned to work since the attack, choosing instead to stay home and care for Itamar. Five of her six children serve in the IDF, either on active duty or in the reserves. Two of them are currently fighting in Gaza. Her youngest daughter will join the army in a month.

The healing of the community of Ofakim continues, but the memories of October 7th will never fade. “We remember our children running barefoot through the streets and fighting like lions. Politicians no longer come here. No coaches arrive. But we remember. We will always remember,” Hadad said.