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Ofakim

View of the southern Israeli town of Ofakim, April 19, 2015. (FLASH90)
City orders schools to suspend exercise pending review
School in Oct. 7-scarred Ofakim holds unannounced terror drill on attack’s anniversary
By ToI Staff
Parents say simulated infiltration shocked elementary-aged children, some of whom are recognized as victims of hostile acts during onslaught; Education Ministry calls timing 'inappropriate'
Illustrative: A police car is seen in Jaffa on November 8, 2025. (Israel Police)
April 6, 2026, 2:00 pm
Man from Bedouin town Segev Shalom stabbed to death in nearby Ofakim; 5 arrested
Marei al-Dabari, 36, killed in suspected clash between families; 83 Arab Israelis killed so far in 2026, 30% more than over same period in 2025
By Charlie Summers and ToI Staff
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men block a road during a protest against the jailing of yeshiva students at the Gilat junction, near the southern Israeli city of Ofakim, February 9, 2026. (Tsafrir Abayov/Flash90)
February 10, 2026, 11:50 am
Haredi spiritual leaders: Those who arrest draft dodgers could face divine retribution
Rabbis of Shas, UTJ’s Degel HaTorah call on Military Police to refuse orders rather than commit the ‘terrible crime’ of arresting ultra-Orthodox men evading military service
By Sam Sokol
Itamar Alus, a police officer who fought terrorists in Ofakim on October 7, 2023, speaking to tourists. (YouTube screenshot used in accordance with Article 27a of the Copyright Law)
January 3, 2026, 11:46 pm
Police officer who saved civilians in southern Israel on Oct. 7 dies after illness
Itamar Alus fought many terrorists in Ofakim and was later recognized for his courage; he said his survival of the Hamas attack was a miracle
By ToI Staff
Rotem Sela as October 7 survivor Batsheva Yahalomi in 'Red Alert,' the four-part Keshet series released October 5, 2025 in Israel (Courtesy)
October 6, 2025, 4:57 pm
Oct. 7 series ‘Red Alert’ a harrowing global reminder of what unfolded in Hamas massacre
The 4-part scripted series, out on Paramount+ Tuesday and showing on Israel’s Channel 12 through Oct. 15, is a stark, riveting reenactment of key, terrifying realities that black day
By Jessica Steinberg
Daniel Mualem, toting a plastic bag, looks at the house of Rachel and David Edry in Ofakim, Israel, on October 9, 2023. (Canaan Lidor/Times of Israel)
July 14, 2025, 6:00 am
Bravery of locals prevented bloodier Ofakim massacre as IDF failed to act, army finds
Investigation says independently organized resistance stopped terror rampage that killed 25 civilians, in chaotic urban battle that left 8 members of security forces dead
By Stav Levaton
Israelis on the beach in Hadera on April 26, 2025, where a man was attacked and killed by a shark during Passover (Photo by Yossi Zamir/Flash90)
April 27, 2025, 4:18 pm
Daily Briefing Apr. 27: Day 569 – Legal wrangles at ICC, shark attack in Hadera
Legal correspondent Jeremy Sharon discusses latest on war crimes case, and that of Ronen Bar; reporter Sue Surkes reviews Hadera shark attack and community in Ofakim since Oct. 7
By Jessica Steinberg, Jeremy Sharon and Sue Surkes
L to R: Israel advocate Ben Cassato is interviewed on Channel 13 on April 11, 2024. (Screenshot via YouTube); Israeli-American NBA player Deni Avdija plays against the New York Knicks on March 30, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger); Rachel Edry from Ofakim is seen outside a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden in Tel Aviv on October 18, 2023 (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
April 21, 2025, 6:02 pm
NBA player, Oct. 7 folk hero to be honored on Independence Day; singer declines
Yardena Arazi, lamenting wartime division, says she won’t join ‘Rachel from Ofakim,’ Deni Avdija, and 10-year-old Israel advocate at state ceremony on Mount Herzl next week
By Jessica Steinberg and ToI Staff
A mural in Ofakim's Mishor Hagefen neighborhood honors those killed in the October 7, 2023, massacre, September 19, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
April 21, 2025, 6:47 am
A scarred Ofakim neighborhood grows into a community after October 7
After 52 people were murdered by Hamas terrorists during the onslaught, local residents pull together, finding comfort in communal activities, events and memorials
By Sue Surkes
Ludmilla Furman (Courtesy)
March 19, 2025, 5:37 pm
Ludmilla Furman, 78: Seamstress who ‘put her family first’
Murdered by Hamas terrorists in Sderot on October 7
By ToI Staff
Command Sgt. Maj. Yigal Iluz (Courtesy)
January 20, 2025, 10:49 pm
Command Sgt. Maj. Yigal Iluz, 56: Veteran cop was ‘larger than life’
Killed battling the Hamas invasion of Ofakim on October 7
By ToI Staff
Lilia Kostitsina (Courtesy)
December 23, 2024, 10:26 pm
Lilia Kostitsina, 78: Grandmother of 10 loved to tend her garden
Murdered by Hamas terrorists in her home in Ofakim on October 7
By ToI Staff
Lilia Giller (Courtesy)
December 19, 2024, 8:10 pm
Lilia Giller, 61: Single mom doted on her four Pekingese dogs
Murdered by Hamas terrorists in Sderot on October 7
By ToI Staff
Staff Sgt. Nehoray Said (IDF)
December 15, 2024, 10:06 pm
Staff Sgt. Nehoray Said, 21: Lived with ‘truth, kindness, generosity’
Killed battling the Hamas invasion of Ofakim on October7
By ToI Staff
Master Sgt. Michael Lizmi, who was killed by Hamas terrorists in Ofakim on October 7, 2023. (Courtesy)
December 13, 2024, 12:18 pm
Master Sgt. Michael Lizmi, 28: Cop was ‘the best father in the world’
Killed battling the Hamas invasion of Ofakim on October 7
By ToI Staff
Tareq Khatib (Courtesy)
December 11, 2024, 11:23 pm
Tareq Khatib, 44: Garbage truck driver and devoted father of 3
Murdered by Hamas terrorists in Ofakim on October 7
By ToI Staff
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