Faces of Iron: Noa
Stand for Israel | June 4, 2024
“I was expecting it was like running away—from routine, from normal life.”
This is what 23-year-old Noa was expecting on October 6, 2024. The IDF veteran and young Israeli headed to the desert of southern Israel near Gaza for a music festival, to enjoy friends and fellowship and the beauty of the Holy Land.
Instead, Noa found herself literally running away—fleeing the Hamas terrorists who had invaded from Gaza on the morning of October 7th, intent on murdering Israelis. More than 1,200 were murdered on that dark day, including three of Noa’s closest friends.
But Noa, like so many others—those who survived and those who did not—ran away. Noa ran for her life.
At first Noa and her friends tried to escape in a car. One friend was shot. Traffic was jammed, terrorists firing at the stalled vehicles and the innocent Israelis stuck inside of them.
So Noa and her friends began running across an open field. They ran for more than a mile, hiding behind whatever trees and bushes they could find. Then gunfire erupted from where they’d been running. They changed direction. But there was nowhere to go.
“My friend grabbed my hand and pulled me into inside the first bush we saw.” The friends hid in the bush for eight hours.
Terrorists came hunting for more civilians to shoot. They fired into every single bush they found—every bush except the one shielding Noa. Miraculously, she was saved.
Even today, Noa remembers the friends she lost: “Beautiful young people who just wanted to celebrate life. They were brutally slaughtered, murdered, some of them raped. On our land.”
Yes, from the youngest to the oldest, the people of Israel have been attacked on the Holy Land God promised them. But, from the youngest to the oldest, God’s people—people like Noa, who before October 7th served in the IDF and in the days since has stayed strong and stood strong—find hope, strength, and lifesaving help from The Fellowship’s faithful supporters.
Because of the love, prayers, and support from friends like YOU, Israelis like Noa know they are not alone.
Read more Faces of Iron stories and learn how The Fellowship is helping survivors of October 7.
