The Face of Dignity
BY MOSHE KATZ 
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL

October 12, 2023, Israel

HostageWomanGaza

Yafa Adar, Taken hostage by Hamas, calm as can be in the face of danger. 

On this past Saturday morning, Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath and a Jewish festival Simhat Torah, the people have Israel literally woke up to a rude awakening, both literally and metaphorically. I will not recount now the horrific events of that fateful morning, massacres did take place, but our people certainly did not go like "Sheep to the slaughter", this is a different generation, they fought back. I have already heard countless stories of heroism and bravery that makes Hollywood movies look like child's play. Individuals took initiative, all had military training, and many had guns. As individuals or as quickly formed ad hoc groups, they fought back. They were badly outnumbered and outgunned. Sometimes 2 individuals with M-16 rifles and a handful of police officers with handguns and limited ammunition, fought back for hours, holding off terrorists and saving lives. They fought until they ran out of ammunition or were killed. Those who remained alive joined with the IDF military units when they finally arrived, several hours later. If you viewed these in a film you might scratch your head and say, this is so unrealistic.

This is a Fighting Nation and the heroism that took place can fill many books. In another case a mother understood the situation, she woke up her son, on leave from the military. She said, "Grab your weapon and go out and save as many as you can, it is for this moment that you have been created, it is for this moment that you have trained". He grabbed his rifle, quickly met up with a few others who had light weapons and they went from house to house, battling and killing terrorists and rescuing people. Eventually all the others in his little group were killed. He himself was hit 4 times. 

Meanwhile his mother, Tali Hadad, grabbed her car and drove around the village at incredible speed. She picked up the injured and drove them to safety. Along the way she found her injured son. She calmly collected him, brought him to safety, and continued with her work until the military and the ambulances finally arrived. 

I am sharing a photo with this blog. It was taken on the very first day of the conflict when the brutal inhuman terrorists came into peaceful villages and committed unspeakable atrocities. A woman of 90 was dragged to her living room and executed. A newborn baby, still attached to its mother was murdered along with the new mom, 40 babies were decapitated, burnt and tossed around like garbage. Young women were raped next to the bodies of their murdered friends. Many were taken hostage to Gaza, fate unknown.

Now these are not prisoners of war; being taken to Gaza is your worst nightmare come true. It is nearly impossible to rescue anyone from there, even the IDF did not succeed in retrieving hostages from there. The torture, the humiliation...we cannot even speak of such things. It is a fate beyond hell. In the video which the proud "Militants" as the west is calling them, posted, this woman is seen looking very calm, in some moments she seems to even be similing, almost laughing at her fate. In no footage that I saw did she appear the least bit nervous.

This raised questions; is this woman suffering from dementia? She looks as if she is on a nice excursion with her family. What is going on?

Her granddaughter gave us the answer. She said, my grandmother is not suffering from dementia, as many had suggested. No, not at all. She is 85 and in good health, mind and body, her mind is sharp, and she is fully aware of what is going on, but this is a woman of the generation that built this state. She is among the founders. They have lived through hardship, she will not be broken, and she will not give the enemy the satisfaction of showing any fear.

She is of a similar age to my dear mother who passed away not long ago. She is the face of dignity; she is a beautiful woman. I salute her and admire her. I cannot imagine how it feels to be taken as a prisoner to the hell known as Gaza by these brutal terrorists, but she, this older lady, 85 years old, has shown us true dignity, royalty and majesty. She is an example to us all. She held her head up high in the face of great danger. May God watch over her and protect her and bring her home as the heroine that she is. Our hearts are with her and her family and all the hostages. The people of Israel lives, Am Yisrael Chai!

Update: November 5, 2023, Yafa Adar is still being held hostage, but her captors are now known by name. The update is that reports indicate that both of her captors are confirmed dead. Fun fact: they were not Hamas members, they were ordinary Gazans trying to cash in, i.e. bring a hostage, get money from Hamas (i.e. The EU and related organizations that support them).

Moshe2021

Moshe Katz, 7th dan Black Belt, Israeli Krav Maga. Certified by Wingate Institute. Member Black Belt hall of fame, USA and Europe.

Understand the Israeli Fighting Mentality - Israel a Nation of Warriors by Moshe Katz

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