Saving lives on 'Death Street,' how an Israeli kindergarten teacher became a battlefield hero on October 7

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SOUTHERN ISRAEL - Tali Hadad is a 49-year-old mother of six and a kindergarten teacher whose days would normally be spent teaching basic reading, math and social skills to 5-year-olds. She never imagined that one day she would be forced to make life-or-death decisions while under fire in the middle of a war zone.

But on Oct. 7, 2023, she was thrust into unimaginable circumstances.

As Hamas launched its assault at 6:45 a.m., she awoke to the sound of sirens and gunfire in her hometown of Ofakim, a small, working-class city in southern Israel 15 miles from the border with Gaza. The piercing alarms that filled the air signaled this was not an ordinary rocket attack, to which much of the region had, over the course of many years, become accustomed.

ISRAELI SOLDIER GRAVELY INJURED IN OCT. 7 TERROR ATTACK FINDS NEW FAITH, OFFERS HOPE TO OTHERS

Hadad instantly knew her family was in grave danger.

Her son, Itamar, a soldier in officer training, was home on leave for the weekend. As the sounds of gunfire grew closer, he grabbed his rifle, fully aware that there was fighting just outside their door. Without hesitation, he ran toward the terrorists. Hadad, still in her pajamas, quickly slipped on running shoes and chased after him, her instincts as a mother taking over.

"I ran toward the playground," Hadad told Fox News Digital. "I hid behind a wall and saw a line of terrorists