I got a forwarded text from my cousin about this man, Avihai Brodetz, who survived the massacre in Kfar Aza, but his whole family — wife and three children — are now hostages in Gaza. He has vowed to sit outside the Kirya (IDF headquarters) until the hostages come home. His wife is from my cousin’s kibbutz and she asked me to go join him in support.

When we arrived at the location, I couldn’t recognize Avihai among the small crowd, which included other people with kidnapped family. The wall was covered with pictures of hostages. It recalled New York City after 9/11 when it was covered in missing posters. What was so painful then was that all those people were obviously dead. This time it’s that the people may be alive, but in hell.

As we were leaving, sirens again. Everyone ran every which way amid the old buildings of the German Templer Colony, which incidentally once flew the swastika, its former Nazi headquarters now an Apple product store. Unfortunately, no buildings were open. Many people, including Yoav and I, couldn’t find shelter in time. We ran down some stairs into a shallow concrete well and huddled without overhead cover. In the chaos, I made the mistake, maybe, of not holding the dogs? Next time.