Saturday was a difficult day for Israelis, especially residents of the Gaza periphery, as many spent the day locked inside their homes for hours fearing for their lives as Hamas terrorists roamed the streets.
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Philip and Anya Platonov, who hid 24 hours indoors in their home in Ofakim, said they chose not to go to the shelter because it was more dangerous.
Video: Israeli parents in a desperate search for their missing children
"I saw the terrorists running down the street, five of them," Phili recalled. "It took the security forces around 40 minutes to arrive," says Philip as he stands in the street full of blood stains from slain residents.
Locals were divided into two: either feeling fortunate to have survived or feeling angry that help arrived so late.
"It's a disgrace what's happening here," Anya said. "We were completely silent, the only thing we did was take pictures and report to the neighbors. A woman who lives near me is still at home and refuses to open the door to me. I told her several times that everything was fine and she could come outside. But you see, her husband was killed."
Lior, from Ashkelon, which was heavily bombarded by rockets, recalled, "There were tons of sirens. I counted 25. My mother's caretaker was with us, and my mother stayed in bed. I told her to not even think about going outside and all of a sudden we heard a terrible explosion.
"I was hit in the leg by shrapnel. And the ringing in the ears and awful headache. I crawled to call for help because we were told to lock the doors. We live on the first floor, in a garden apartment. It was completely destroyed. We have a long recovery ahead, but hope for the best."
Herzl Shaubi is hospitalized after being shot in the chest outside a synagogue in Sderot.
"I heard the siren on my way to synagogue, where I began preparations for Simchat Torah. Suddenly I heard gunshots outside. It was strange for me to hear those sounds. I was standing at the entrance to the synagogue and was hit by a bullet. I immediately understood that it was a sniper who hit me. They stood on rooftops and shot at everyone who passed by on the street. It was a true massacre.
"For an hour I lay on the floor, bleeding, with no ambulance in sight. But luckily, there was a car at the synagogue and my friend took me to the hospital."
Yom Tov Chassid has been going from hospital to hospital with a picture of his 23-year-old son, Ben, who was at the peace festival on Saturday that was targeted by Hamas terrorists.
"He called us when the shots started and we heard them over the phone, but no contact since then. We heard the gunfire and speech in Arabic. I've been through all the hospitals looking for missing persons. My son is not here. I hope he will be found alive, we want our children back."
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