Woman becomes Israeli folk hero for plying Hamas militants with snacks until rescue mission arrives

By JULIA FRANKEL
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — A tale of quick-witted survival during the Israel-Hamas war has turned a 65-year old woman into an unlikely folk hero in Israel. For many, Rachel Edri has come to symbolize the ingenuity of everyday Israelis left to fend for themselves as militants attacked on Oct. 7. After an early-morning air-raid siren, Edri returned from a bomb shelter in her hometown of Ofakim to find a band of Hamas militants in her living room. As gunfire raged outside, Edri’s home saw a 20-hour tete-a-tete between hospitality and brutality. One of the grenade-toting gunmen struck Edri across the face with the butt of his gun. To calm them, Edri gave them canned pineapple, tea and her signature Moroccan cookies. She sang Arabic songs to them and they sang Hebrew songs back to her.