Aimee Labban and her husband Uriel are being treated after being rescued by the Israeli Defense Forces
A British family with a ten-day old baby was hiding in safe room while Hamas terrorists burned their home and looted their village.
The British-Israeli family spent about nine hours in hiding after being awakened by rocket fire in the community at 6am. Nirima, one and a half miles from the border with the Gaza Strip.
Deborah Mintz, from Romford and in her 60s, was holed up in a tiny room with her grandson Kai and his parents, Aimee and Uriel Labban, both in their 30s.
Hamas fighters set the family's house and cars on fire. The family said their pet dog was killed.
As smoke poured into the safe room, they had to hold baby Kai up to the ceiling to protect him from the smoke.
The family was finally released shortly before 3 p.m. local time, when Israeli defense forces arrived and escorted them to an air raid shelter on the kibbutz, home to just a few hundred people.
Russell Langer, a political researcher, said he learned about their family's plight when they received a text message that said: «We're stuck. They came and burned our house.»
He said that his aunt and cousin were afraid to leave because that they “knew what the alternative was.”
He told The Telegraph on Saturday: “They had been in a safe room, or supposed safe room… since 6am.”
He said the “terrorists” entered their home at about 9am.
“They ran straight to the safe room. They could literally hear the terrorists, [the] room was full of smoke, so they practically lifted the child to the window to get some fresh air,” he said.
“My aunt posted “Terrorists Killed Mickey” in the group. Mickey is her dog.”
Mr Langer said the family was later rescued by the IDF and transferred to a shelter with neighbors, including one woman whose husband had been killed and another who was eight and a half months pregnant.
“Little Kai seems okay, but [he’s] a little covered in soot,” he said. “The house burned down, as did their cars.”
A man runs for cover after a rocket attack in Ashkelon Photo: Amir Cohen/Reuters
Other British citizens in Israel have told how their families were «hiding in the bushes» after Hamas terrorists set fire to their kibbutz home in an attempt to smoke them out.
Emma Segev, 50, from Eastbourne, who now lives near Ashkelon, was desperately waiting for news about her daughter-in-law and four children after Kibbutz Beeri was broken into.
“They told us that Hamas was outside their door and they could hear Arabic and gunshots, but now everything is quiet,” she said.
“The last we heard, their house was on fire. Eventually the heat in the room became so intense that they thought they would burn alive and ran away. I don’t know how they got out, but they are hiding in the bushes.
“They kidnapped two elderly women, as well as teenagers who were present at the rave, and took them hostage.”
An Israeli soldier stands next to the bodies of Israelis killed by Palestinian militants in the southern city of Sderot. Photo: Tsafrir Abaev/AP
Ms. Segev, an English teacher, criticized the IDF for allowing Hamas to take hostages in the Gaza Strip.
“Where are the Israel Defense Forces? Hamas controls the situation, burns and kills,” she said. “Hamas has taken control of the situation.
“I have friends who hid in a basement for six hours while terrorists knocked on the doors of their kibbutz, looking for Jews to kidnap.”
Her 24-year-old son Yuval added that Hamas «roamed around with an AK-47 and the families had nothing but a baseball bat and kitchen knives» and his family was «hiding among the fruit trees on their kibbutz.»
< p>“The militants are shooting at them. They're just praying for Israeli soldiers to show up, but apparently the soldiers can't get through at the moment,” he said.
Felicity Kay was awakened by rocket sirens at 6am in Tel Aviv
Felicity Kay, from Watford, said that At 6 a.m. in Tel Aviv, she was awakened by rocket sirens and wondered how Hamas could carry out such a horrific attack.
“This is a completely pre-planned, unprovoked attack on civilians and children. Where is the army? How did this happen? Where is the IDF in the south?
“Imagine if this happened in London. Remember, when Lee Rigby was killed in broad daylight, the outcry was international. It's a very different and much more horrific phenomenon: kidnappings and massacres.»
Terry Newman, a father of four from London, said he was angry that the country had been «infiltrated» by Hamas terrorists after of being awakened by sirens as his family slept in the garden during the holy holiday of Sukkot.
“Hamas gave us the element of surprise. We were hit by thousands of rockets and were infiltrated by assassins who kidnapped and killed civilians, political leaders and security personnel,” he said.
“Israel must respond with maximum force to stop more killings, return kidnapped Israelis as quickly as possible, and reassure our other enemies that we will not tolerate this.”
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