Even after the fog of the Israel-Gaza war lifts, it will leave an indelible mark on a whole generation of young children. Some have been taken hostage, some left orphaned, and others have had to see their families gunned down before their eyes.
One such child is Daria, who saw her father and his partner shot by Hamas operatives as she and her brother shivered in fear under a blanket.
A video posted on X by the State of Israel's official Twitter account shows Daria narrating her unfathomable ordeal. On Saturday, when Hamas launched a staggering 5,000 rockets in 20 minutes and initiated a multi-pronged attack on Israel from land, air and sea, Daria and her brother Lavi had gone to visit their father and his partner in the kibbutz of Reim, close to the border with Gaza.
Face-To-Face With Terror
Daria says her father, Dvir Karap, woke her up to go to the shelter and she spotted an axe and a knife in his hands. When she asked him why he had those with him, he said, "In case something will happen".
"I went back to sleep and when I woke up, I saw them taking the axe and the knife, opening the door to the shelter and running towards the terrorists. They shot my dad but I couldn't see what happened to his partner, Stav. It happened in front of my eyes. Dad managed to get one of the terrorists but they still killed him and his partner," said Daria.
Sitting in the lap of her mother, Reut, Daria recalled how she came face to face with her father's killers. "I was under the blanket. They took it off, saw me, and put it back. When they left, I sent mom a message."
Reut read out what Daria had written to her: "Mom, it's Daria, they have murdered dad and Stav. Help!"
When she was leaving the house, Daria noticed that the killers had written something in red on the wall using Stav's lipstick. The message was, "The Al-Qassam people don't murder little children."
The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, also known as the Al-Qassam Brigades, is the military wing of Hamas.
Dvir and Stav died trying to save Daria and her brother. Describing the day as the worst Saturday of her life, the little girl said, "I was scared that I'll never see my mother again. That I'll never see anyone again."
'Saw Death Itself'
The video also shows a 9-year-old, Nitai, narrating what he went through during the attacks. He said he got nauseous and started throwing up.
Asked what he thought when he saw the terrorists, the young boy said, "That we saw death itself. We sent text messages to our family that we love them. We said goodbye."
Nitai went on to say that he has bouts of anxiety and can't sleep at night. "It's like I can see them (the terrorists) with my eyes."
More Horror To Come?
At least 3,700 people have been killed in the war, which entered its sixth day on Thursday. There are strong indications that Israel is planning a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, which is home to 2.3 million people.
With electricity, food, fuel and water cut off, Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz on Thursday said his country would not allow basic resources or humanitarian aid into Gaza until Hamas released the 150 people it is holding hostage.
"Humanitarian aid to Gaza? No electric switch will be turned on, no water tap will be opened and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli abductees are returned home," he said in a statement.
