Three years after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, nurses and doctors who treated the wounded are remembering the day terror hit home. Their stories of bravery and sacrifice offer a window into the cost of that morning, when hospitals strained under the largest terror casualty event in modern history.
Nil Kirsht-Levi Loses Her Sister
Nil Kirsht-Levi, a nurse with Clalit Southern District, spent Oct. 7 treating patients remotely from her safe room while protecting her three children. Terrorists invaded her community of Kibbutz Magen and went door to door, and she texted her sister, Rimon Buchshtab-Kirsht, who lived in nearby Kibbutz Nirim.
Kirsht-Levi lost more than 30 patients that day, more than 200 people she knew, and around 100 people she knew were kidnapped. Her sister sent a message saying she could hear Arabic and that terrorists had entered her home. Weeks later, Kirsht-Levi saw her sister alive in a Hamas video. Her sister was released as part of a ceasefire deal in November 2023, emaciated and covered in scars, after 53 days.
Her brother-in-law, Yagev Buchshtab, was murdered by the terrorists.
Michaela Koretsky Works Under Fire
Michaela Koretsky, a midwife with Clalit’s Southern District, was jolted awake by air raid sirens at 6:29 a.m. on Oct. 7, the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. Hamas launched thousands of rockets at Israel, covering an invasion across the border. She rushed to shelter with her husband and children, where she received a message from Eran, a member of the kibbutz’s civil defense squad.
Eran brought wounded kibbutz members to Koretsky’s home, where she improvised care. When Amichai arrived, covered in blood, she switched into nurse mode, placed him on the floor, and prepared an IV while staying in contact with a doctor from Soroka Medical Center. Eyal was shot, with a bullet lodged in his lung. Koretsky placed him on an IV, gave him extra oxygen, and evacuated him under fire with help from her husband, Tzviki, and members of the kibbutz’s civil defense squad.
Shlomi Codish Runs a Hospital Under Siege
Prof. Shlomi Codish, director of the hospital in Beersheba, made three lifesaving decisions early on Oct. 7. He kept the night shift at the hospital, doubling staffing levels. At 7:45 a.m., he declared a mass-casualty incident and alerted all available staff to report. He also ordered additional blood supplies, anticipating the surge of casualties.
“In the first 24 hours, we received 674 wounded people. At the peak, we received more than 80 in a single hour, with an average of just 40 seconds between wounded people arriving,” Codish said.
By the end of the day, the hospital had given 250 units of blood. Codish estimated that without ordering more early, people may have died.
The Hospital’s Overwhelming Challenges
The hospital faced multiple challenges throughout the day. The sheer number of wounded was the first. The hospital itself was under fire, with dozens of incoming missile warnings from Gaza, while attacks took place simultaneously at many sites.
The second challenge was the invasion’s immediate impact on staff. Everyone who came in left a family at home that was potentially under attack, driving through air-raid sirens at significant personal risk.
The third challenge was maintaining care inside the hospital as the number of casualties grew.
What These Stories Show
These three accounts capture the scale of what happened that day. Kirsht-Levi lost patients, a sister, and a brother-in-law. Koretsky worked under fire in her own home. Codish ran a hospital facing threats from every direction.
The stories share a common thread: people doing what needed to be done, often without thinking about the danger around them.
Recovery and Moving Forward
Kirsht-Levi described the daily work of recovery. “We work every day to recover and rehabilitate ourselves. Every day, we fall and get back up, but we are here — for ourselves, for others and we have won,” she said.
She added: “We should never forget, but we must move forward, live every moment and keep going. It’s a privilege to be alive.”
The hospital’s response to the largest terror casualty event in modern history was shaped by early decisions that kept blood supplies ready and staffing high. That planning saved lives, Codish believes.
These stories are not easy to read. But they are worth reading, because they show what people do when everything around them is falling apart.
Key facts:
– Oct. 7, 2023: Hamas-led attack on Israel
– Nov. 2023: Sister released after 53 days
– 674 wounded in first 24 hours at Beersheba hospital
– 250 units of blood given by end of day
– 40 seconds between wounded arrivals at peak
The terror of that day was real. The courage of those who answered it was greater still.
Source material: “Israeli medical workers who treated Oct 7 wounded relive day terror hit home,” Fox News.
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