After Eliminating 5 Terrorists, Yaron Said Shma Yisrael As Israeli Police Nearly Shot Him

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Upon hearing the air raid sirens in his home community of Nir Oz on October 7, Yaron Maor shepherded his family into the safe room. However hearing that there were also reports of terrorists infiltrating, Maor decided to take his pistol out of the safe and stay outside the room. It proved to be a life-saving decision.

Quite soon afterwards, Maor heard shots being fired in the community. The terrorists had arrived. Looking outside, Maor could see a group of terrorists on the veranda. Luckily, Maor’s house had a steel door which could not be forced open by their shots. Instead, one of them tried to enter through the kitchen window. Maor shot him dead and then a second one behind him.

The terrorists then tried a different strategy, lobbing grenades into the house. Maor, trained in the Givati brigade, knew he had four seconds to escape the explosions and ran into another room. Recovering from the grenade, Yaron killed another terrorist in his house.

The terrorists then tried to enter from another entrance but Yaron shot at them, eliminating more of them. They continued to lob grenades, not daring to enter the house.

After reentering the safe room with his wife, Yaron heard the terrorists returning to take their dead comrade. They then set the house on fire. Realizing that they could all die from smoke inhalation, Yaron decided to escape through the window of the safe room. As he exited after his wife and three daughters, carrying a pistol, he was nearly shot by arriving Israeli Yamam (special forces) police, who thought he was a terrorist trying to take them into captivity. Instinctively, Yaron said “Shma Yisrael Hashem Elokenu Hashem Echad”. Even this did not impress the police, and his wife had to identify him to save him.

Yaniv’s other daughter Eden survived in another house due to the resourcefulness of her grandmother, who held the safe room door locked for six hours even while terrorists shot through the door.