The Nova Festival in Kibbutz Re’im was supposed to be a joyful celebration on October 7 at 6:29 am. But that changed quickly as Millet Ben Haim and her friends were enjoying the festivities when air raid sirens went off and Hamas fighters stormed the festival site.

The attack resulted in devastation, with 364 festival visitors dead and 40 taken hostage. Millet, one of the lucky survivors, spoke about the life-changing experience in an interview with the German newspaper Bild. She remembered how suddenly the music stopped due to the sound of rockets filling the sky.

Millet and her friends tried to flee in their car but were stopped by terrorists shooting at people in cars ahead of them. They attempted to go in another direction but were met with similar violence. Eventually, they had no choice but to take off on foot through the fields, desperate to escape the terrorists and seek safety.

After hours of wandering and seeking refuge, they eventually hid in a bush with three other women, disguising themselves to avoid being found by the terrorists. Their prayers were answered when Ramy Davidian, a civilian who had saved over a hundred lives that day, found and rescued them.

Now with her family, Millet is grateful to be safe but is struggling to cope with the trauma and loss resulting from the attack. She feels like a different person, unable to connect with friends or family and overwhelmed by the magnitude of what happened that day.