‘I had 20 seconds to say goodbye to my kids’: Nimrod Palmach’s harrowing account of October 7

In a harrowing account of a Hamas attack near the Gaza border on October 7, Israeli reservist Nimrod Palmach describes the moment he thought he was going to die | WARNING: GRAPHIC

Nimrod Palmach said he engaged in gunfire with a group of 30 Hamas terrorists, during an interview with Sharri Markson on Sky News Australia.

Warning: graphic content

An Israeli reservist has recounted having “20 seconds to say goodbye” after seeing numerous naked women spewn across the highway of a kibbutz on October 7.

Nimrod Palmach said he engaged in gunfire with a group of 30 Hamas terrorists, during an interview with Sharri Markson on Sky News Australia.

The order from his commander on the morning of October 7 was to report to his army base in Jerusalem, where his search and rescue team was based.

Instead, Mr Palmach drove south to the kibbutz near the Gaza border, having heard the news of the Hamas attack.

“Right before I got to the highway of the Gaza envelope I stopped aside to say goodbye to my kids, I realised I was about to die,” he told Sky News.

“I had 20 seconds to say goodbye to my kids which was one of the hardest things I had to do.”

Mr Palmach said he was with a group of Israeli soldiers when they came across at least 30 Hamas terrorists.

“It was right outside the kibbutz settlement, they (Hamas) were actually planning to go into the kibbutz to invade kibbutz and to do another massacre,” he said.

“I jumped, I saw the car and immediately I’ve seen half-naked woman lying on the ground.”

Mr Palmach said he took a weapon from a nearby dead Israeli soldier and engaged in battle behind a parked car.

“During this fight I’m behind a car shooting at a terrorist and suddenly I feel something in my leg, something soft that prevent me to shoot right … I looked down and I see a naked woman laying on her stomach.”

“You have to understand this is a highway,” he said.

“I’m realising there is a holocaust around me, I stopped shooting at the terrorist and I look inside the car and I see two young babies shot dead.”

Mr Palmach said he doesn’t recall exactly how the shooting ended, but said they won.

“Lesson, when you fight for life and for values like human rights, love, empathy and the other side fights for death and destruction, it’s an obvious win.”

“We won.”