I’ll never forget the day, October 7th, when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel. I was at a party, surrounded by friends and music, when suddenly everything stopped. The rockets were coming down, and we knew we had to find shelter. My boyfriend Kanani and I grabbed each other’s hands, and we started running towards the road. But there was no escape, no way to get out of the chaos.

We stumbled upon a crowded shelter, packed with people who were screaming and crying. I was trapped, unable to breathe or move. The gas was choking me, and I couldn’t see anything. I thought I was going to die.

But I didn’t die. I survived. And as I lay on the floor, I saw people around me dying. I saw my boyfriend, Kanani, trying to protect me, but he was struggling to breathe. He was screaming at the woman on top of me to calm down. She would not get off of me and I could not breathe.

I thought it was all over for me. I thought I would never see my family again. But then I saw Kanani’s face, and he told me to come with him. We crawled through the bodies, trying to find a way out. And then, suddenly, we were outside.

I saw phones on the floor, with names of people calling out for their loved ones. It was like a nightmare come true. I looked around and saw the bodies of people who had died in front of me. And then, I heard a voice in my ear, telling me not to step on people’s heads.

I found Kanani’s body, and I knew he was gone. The memory of that day will stay with me for the rest of my life. It’s like a gas chamber, like what happened during the Holocaust.

I’ll never forget that day. I’ll never forget the sounds of people screaming and crying. I’ll never forget the feeling of helplessness and fear that gripped my heart. But most of all, I’ll never forget Kanani’s death.