On Oct. 6, 2023, we celebrated the birth of my third daughter, Asif. The joy was immense — my beloved mother, Marcelle, came to visit me in the hospital, along with my husband and our two children. These turned out to be fleeting moments of happiness, before our reality turned into an indescribable nightmare.

I live in Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha, just two kilometres from the Gaza border. I was used to the cycles of conflict, the endless sirens, the rush to shelters. But nothing prepared me for October 7.