Survival Strategies in Conflict Zones

My wife was abducted from here, and the terrible disaster happened here.

And I manage to understand a little. He talks to me, and I…

I pump him for information. At some point, he goes, "What,

why do you need to know all this?"

I tell him, "So if I want to escape…" Then he says, "Come on, what would you do?"

I'd tell him, "I'd go north to Netzarim, then I'd meet soldiers there."

Now I know that's not the way. I know I need to go east.

Then he tells me, "You're an idiot."

I ask him why. He tells me, "Because from east to west, you've got at most

six kilometers."

Then I realize I'm in the narrow part of the Strip.

So I can map out the tunnel, and I know which way they pray, toward Mecca.

I also know the cardinal directions, more or less, so I know that when I get

outside, I go south until I reach the trees, and from the trees, I head

east.

It was already mid-May 2024. With the intelligence he had gathered

Avinatan now got back to work, dismantling the wall

of sandbags without knowing how many bags

He'll have to move them, and if there's something waiting

for him beyond them.

Every meter forward means crossing three columns of bags.

That means three bags times three columns is nine bags

per meter. That means if there are—

if there are four meters—

Nice.

That's 36 bags.

Very nice. I can somehow manage that.

But if it's—

But if you have, God forbid, around ten meters.

Exactly, four, five, six meters. I don't know how many there are.

And his main problem right now is the toilet pit

in his compartment, it's too close to the wall of bags,

and there's a limit to how many sandbags he can move

into this small space.

I say, okay, if I take all this down and only then discover I'm

in trouble because I'm stuck, I have no way to continue.

So what I do is put all the bags back.

Wow.

And I decide to dig a new toilet pit.

To create more space for you.

Where the existing pit is, I'll cover it with soil, then I'll be able to make more than

one column, more than one wall of bags.

Hope they don't notice you redesigned the room.

Right.

That you redesigned it.

Exactly.

Now, so you understand, there's nothing to dig with. I'm digging with a wire with a diameter

Of how much?

Half a centimeter, less than half a centimeter. I sit like this and—

And dig a new latrine pit.

And dig a new latrine pit.

How long does that take you?

It takes me eight days.

Just for the new latrine pit.

Just for the latrine pit. Yeah, digging—

Then you start the work with the bags over again.

Start the work with the bags over again.

Wait, but—