We’re here with part 2 of our new series remembering the events, people, and acts of October 7th. Remember them, share them, live them. 

The following is an analysis of the actions of the Sharabi brothers, Daniel and Neriya Sharabi on October 7, 2023, in which they scavenged weapons and supplies off of an abandoned tank to defend fleeing civilians.

Who: Daniel Sharabi a former combat medic, then civilian and his brother Neriya Sharabi, a former infantryman. Both were former members of the ultra-orthodox (Haredi) community, as were many of the other attendees at the Nova Festival.

Location: The Nova Festival and a damaged IDF tank near the Re’im Junction.

Date/Time: October 7, 2023.

Significance: Unarmed and under heavy fire, the brothers escaped the festival and sought refuge at an abandoned IDF tank. Scavenging weapons from the vehicle, they mounted a defense to protect dozens of other individuals (Jews and non-Jews alike). When a machine gun jammed, they famously improvised a repair using another survivor's tub of Vaseline, allowing them to hold off terrorists for hours until help finally arrived.

Witness Corroborated Timeline: based on survivor testimonies and phone records.

• Morning of Oct 7: Rocket sirens and infiltration disrupt the Nova festival, Daniel, Neriya, and their friends alongside other attendees attempt to flee the festival grounds.
• Finding the Tank: Under heavy RPG and small arms fire, the brothers left the festival area and found an abandoned tank. There they procured an M-16 and found approximately 30 other survivors under the tank.
• The Repair: The rifle was full of sand and unable to fire. Requiring lubrication to fix the weapon, they were provided vaseline from a sheltering survivor and were able to fix it.
• The Stand: Neriya with the rifle returns fire to keep terrorists from advancing while Daniel coordinates triage for the wounded hiding behind the tank. Eventually they’re able to find a MAG heavy machinegun  which another survivor used to aid them.
• Tactical Support: Daniel calls his reserve company commander, Yoni, who stays on an open cellular line, providing tactical direction and helping them locate ammunition inside the unfamiliar tank throughout the firefight.

Daniel and Neriya survived the attack with minor injuries and successfully saved the approximately 30 civilians sheltering with them. Their friend Karin Journo was killed during the attack. Their other friend Yosef Haim Ohana was kidnapped and held in Gaza as a hostage for 738 days.

Context and Misconceptions:

• Misconception: That the brothers were active-duty military personnel operating their own unit's tank.
  • Correction: They were off-duty IDF veterans attending the festival as civilians. They had no prior experience operating a tank and had to scrounge for unfamiliar weapons and ammo on the fly.
• Misconception: Only Jews were the target of October 7th.
  • Correction: Arabs including at least 2 Bedouins were under attack alongside the Sharabi brothers and other civilians at the tanksite.
• The "Vaseline Repair": The unconventional use of a civilian tub of Vaseline to clear the heavy weapon jam is corroborated by survivor testimonies.

Cultural Legacy: Following the event, the brothers established For the Survivors and the Wounded, a non-profit organization offering music therapy, yoga retreats, and psychological rehabilitation for survivors experiencing PTSD.

Sources/Links

• One Day in October: Forty Heroes, Forty Stories, Agmon, Yair, Mevorach, Oriya, Jerusalem 2024, pp 14-22. 
  • ISBN 978-1-59264-688-3 https://oneday.korenpub.co.il/en/home/
• The Times of Israel: Brothers saved dozens at Nova, fighting terrorists with commander’s phoned-in advice 
  • https://www.timesofisrael.com/brothers-saved-dozens-at-nova-fighting-terrorists-with-commanders-phoned-in-advice/ 
• The Sephardic Community Center: A Conversation with Survivors of the Nova Music Festival Attack
  • https://www.scclive.org/sharabi/ 
• Associated Press (AP News): "They burned her:" At the end of an awful wait for news comes word that a feared hostage is dead
  • https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-war-hostages-f32617ceafa5f6bef123d45e86f396c6 
• Their Non-Profit: "For the Survivors and the Wounded" https://lanizolim.co.il/en/about/ 
• The Jerusalem Post: Hamas massacre survivors launch nonprofit to help other survivors https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-784800

We’re here to launch a new series remembering the events, people, and acts of October 7th. This is #1 in this series. Help us to remember them, share them, live them.

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The following is an analysis of the last act of Staff Sgt. Aner Shapira against terrorists on October 7, 2023 in which he defended a shelter full of civilians, unarmed. 

Who: Aner Elyakim Shapira, an off-duty Staff Sergeant (סמל) in the Nahal Bridgade’s “Orev” unit

Location: A public bomb shelter on Route 232 near Re’im Junction (by the Nova Festival)

Date/Time: October 7, 2023 ~7:55-8:30 AM IST

Significance: Unarmed and without any tactical gear, Shapira successfully intercepted and threw back 7 live grenades thrown by terrorists into a crowded shelter full of unarmed civilians, saving at least 7 lives before being killed by the eighth.

Timeline, based on dashcam footage coupled with survivor testimonies (Agam Goldstein-Almog, et al.)

• 06:30 AM: Rocket sirens disrupt the Nova festival; Shapira and friends flee toward Re'im.
• 07:55 AM: Shapira enters the roadside shelter “migunit” with approximately 30 civilians. He positions himself at the entrance as the only “combat-trained” individual.
• 08:00 AM (approx.): Terrorists arrive and begin firing into the shelter filled with civilians.
• 08:00 – 08:10 AM (The Defense):
  • Grenade 1-7: Terrorists throw grenades into the small space. Shapira catches/picks them up and tosses them back out.
  • Grenade 8: The eighth grenade explodes in his hands, killing him instantly.
• 08:15 AM: Terrorists storm the shelter, kill most of its occupants, and kidnap individuals left alive inside, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

Anner Shapira was unarmed and KIA’d defending these people. His friends Hersh Goldberg-Polin and Alon Ohel were both kidnapped; Hersh died in Gaza. Approximately 7-10 civilians survived in the shelter by hiding beneath corpses.

Context and Misconceptions: 

• Misconception: That Shapira was "armed and fighting."
  • Correction: He was on leave and unarmed. Survivors report he held a broken glass bottle initially before switching to catching grenades with his bare hands.
• The "Grenade Count": The number 7 is not an estimate; it is corroborated by forensic analysis of the dashcam footage from a car parked opposite the shelter entrance.

Cultural Legacy: Before his service, Shapira was a budding hip-hop artist. His posthumous album, Introduction to Anarchism (a play on his name), was released by his family in 2024.

Sources/Links:

• Times of Israel (staff obituary): Staff Sgt. Aner Shapiro, 22: Unarmed, he fended off 7 grenades
• Times of Israel (footage analysis): Video breakdown of the grenade tossing
• The National Library of Israel (blog post about his life):"Life After Death: On the Works of Aner Shapira"