How a WhatsApp group kept up spirit and hope for community members in Be'eri amid Hamas attack

A WhatsApp group has come to the rescue of residents living close to the Be'eri Kibbutz near the Gaza border amid the raging Israel-Hamas war in the region. Scores of residents who were stuck in the area amid the onslaught by the Hamas terrorists had no hope but a WhatsApp group that had members sharing their fears, rescue efforts and pleas for help as the militants went through the houses in the area, taking hostages.

The chats in the group were shared with the BBC, which in a report said how the incident started with a message in the group, "We have a terrorist on the stairs. Call someone."

The group, named as 'Be'eri mothers' on WhatsApp started sharing their fears and pleas for help as the Hamas terrorists started burning down houses and abducting people to take as hostages from the region.

The women in the group, which was later renamed as "Be'eri Mothers Emergency", shared information on where terrorists were in the city so that some can attempt to escape and also ways to escape burnt down houses and also help for evacuation.

Dafna Gerster from Germany was quoted as saying, "Usually you have an alarm... This time, there was no alarm, and it was so loud. It's a sound we could not identify."

The questions asked ranged from how to escape the armed militants to how to lock safe rooms or fight smoke inhalation. The community members showed immense courage amid a terrorising situation as they attempted to help one another and ensure the others do not lose hope amid no help in the initial hours of the situation. Residents enquired about military help and the lack thereof and also spoke about the situation as and when the day went on, the report said.

"We understood it wasn't just one terrorist, it was a massive attack. In each neighborhood of the kibbutz, we heard 'they're here, they're here,' so they were in each neighborhood at the same time." the report quoted one Michal Pinyan as saying.

The community members on the chat finally felt some hope at the arrival of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and after what seemed like ages, horror-stricken and traumatised families were evacuated to safety. "They are our friends, they are our family, they are everything to us," the people said.

The Israeli military reposted a video portraying Hamas militants attending to children, a video that was originally posted by the armed group.

The Gaza Strip-based armed group, responsible for the terror attack on Israel last Saturday and the abduction of approximately 150 individuals of various nationalities, released the video on their Telegram channel.

Their apparent intention was to showcase the "well-being" of the infants they were holding as hostages.