Saving souls for the next generation: How one man saved hundreds of kids on October 7

Rami Davidian's bravery saved over 700 lives during the October 7 attacks – but he'll never forget what he saw.

By RAQUEL GUERTZENSTEIN FROHLICH NOVEMBER 11, 2024 17:55

Rami Davidian, an Israeli farmer who saved hundreds of young Israelis from the Nova massacre attends the annual Jerusalem Conference of the 'Besheva' group in Jerusalem, on February 26, 2024. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90 (photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

Rami Davidian, from Patish  – a moshav in the Gaza envelope – saved more than 700 people during the October 7 attacks, Israel's Defense and Security Forum highlighted on its website. 

Early in the morning, after receiving a distressing phone call to rescue a friend’s child, Davidian rescued them and hundreds of other young Israelis. Kids and anxious parents contracted him for help throughout the attacks.

Davidian directed groups of frantic young people to the safety of the moshav, reached people hiding in wadis and orchards, and rescued others who were surrounded by terrorists, the Media Line reported. 

Davidian came across dead bodies and body parts and stopped to place them in safe spots and check in WhatsApp groups for identifications before continuing with rescues, he added. 

Davidian lost family on October 7, finding out the following day that his cousin’s daughter, Ofir, had been murdered on her army base, according to Israel's Defense and Security Forum post.

Israeli soldiers seen near the border fence with the Gaza Strip, southern Israel, on January 14, 2024 (credit: FLASH90/CHAIM GOLDBERG)

Something he will never be able to forget

On March 7, Davidian spoke to The Media Line about memories from the day that cannot be forgotten. 

“To witness naked teens tied to trees and all of them nude at those same [intimate] places on their bodies is something that I’ll never be able to forget. It will remain with me for the rest of my life,” he said. “Therefore, I have sought therapy with psychologists and psychiatrists to learn how to cope with this. [Right now] I don’t sleep. I can’t look at meat because if I see meat in a restaurant or in a store, I remember the [images of the] outdoor bomb shelters, which had pieces of flesh splattered all over the place. It’s personally difficult for me to handle, but I’ll overcome it. It will take time.”