An Israeli woman who survived a Hamas terrorist attack with her family is celebrating a “great victory” after giving birth to a baby girl. She named her baby girl Kami, which means “to rise up.”
Ofir Baraksan, 31, her husband Yuval, 31, and their two-year-old son Tai were in their home in Kibbutz Sufa when the terrorists launched their brutal assault on October 7.
She and Tai hid in a shelter while her husband, a commander in the kibbutz’s security forces, fought an armed group that had invaded the community. Y Net News reported.
The paper said Ofir spent the last months of her pregnancy in a hotel in Eilat, where she gave birth to Kami.
“Instead of sinking into despair, we rise up and are alive and well,” she said.
The mother said she remembered worrying about her husband, young son, unborn child and parents during the terrifying ordeal.
“With everything we’ve been through, and experiences I still can’t digest, I knew she felt it all in my belly. Because of her, I I had to stay calm,” Ofir told Ynet.
Ofir said he is grateful to have survived, but said the time he spent in Eilat after being evacuated from the kibbutz also presented challenges.
“This period was very frustrating. All a woman wants before giving birth is stable ground, and without that, she’s basically unstable,” she recalled.
“All I was thinking about was that my baby would be born in the best way possible. Yes, it wasn’t the hospital I planned to give birth in, but still, it was exactly how I wanted it to be.” It was a beautiful birth,” Ofir continued.
“After Cami was born, they laid her on top of me and I screamed, it was a great victory,” she said.
Ofir said many of his friends were killed or kidnapped during the attack.
“Three days after giving birth, everything hit me. Until then, I was focused on the pregnancy and birth, and after that I had time to think. What if they kill us? ? What if they kidnap us? I can’t imagine that happening,” she said.
The family has now moved to Ramat Gan in central Israel as the war with Hamas continues.
“I never imagined that I would end up living in a city, but as Yuval says, I will be making lemonade out of lemons. For now, I can’t imagine going back to the kibbutz,” Ofir said. Told.
“On the other hand, I can’t imagine myself living anywhere else. When conditions are right, I plan to come back and grow my family there,” she added.
