‘The last thing I saw before being taken to Gaza was my dad’s bloodied face’

In a poignant testimony, 12-year-old Erez Kalderon, kidnapped from his home in Nir Oz during the October 7 onslaught, has shared his harrowing story of captivity in the Gaza Strip. Erez, whose father, Ofer Kalderon, remains in Hamas captivity, bravely opened up about his traumatic experience, saying, “It’s difficult for me to speak on camera, but if this reaches my dad — it’s worth everything.”

Erez recounted the terrifying moments when attackers breached their home: “They simply broke the handle and entered. My dad quickly ran to the safe room, yelled at my sister Sahar to open the window, and I jumped out first.”

In a desperate attempt to escape, Erez was caught by an attacker who took him away on a motorcycle. “I glanced to the side and saw my dad on his knees while they were beating him — that was the last time I saw him,” he recalled painfully.

“Picture how I felt when they separated us. Dad was covered in blood from the beatings. That moment haunts me. I can’t shake off the fear. All I wanted was to scream ‘Dad, save me!’ but I couldn’t even do that.”

The young boy described the terror and isolation he experienced, “When we arrived in Gaza, I found myself alone in an unfamiliar place, and fear began to overwhelm me. I was scared I would die, that they would mistreat me, that there wouldn’t be food or water and that something terrible might happen to my family. While there, I heard my mom crying on the radio, expressing how much she missed me. I wanted to cry but wasn’t allowed to. Her voice gave me a glimmer of strength to carry on, to know that I hadn’t been forgotten.”

Upon his release as part of a hostage-prisoner exchange deal in November, Erez learned that his father was still being held captive. He shared painfully, “I celebrated my 12th birthday in Gaza, and my bar mitzvah is in two months. How can I celebrate becoming a man when my dad is still there? I can’t stop thinking about him. Is he alone, like I was? Does he know we’re fighting for him every day? My dream is for dad to stand beside me and embrace me. I can’t fathom a life without him.”

Erez concluded his testimony with an impassioned plea: “Please share my story and spread this post and video. Maybe it will reach my dad, just as my mom’s voice reached me when I was in captivity. I’m just a child who wants his father by his side. I’m not asking for much — just for dad to come back. I have one clear purpose in life now — to see him return. Help rescue my dad from Hamas captivity.”

Originally appeared in Israel Hayom.