How Israeli and Palestinian kids are coping 3 years after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks ignited the Middle East

October 7, 2026 / 6:38 AM EDT / CBS News

Three years after Hamas militants launched their assault on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, taking 251 others hostage and triggering Israel's war in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, CBS News met two teenagers on both sides of the Gaza border to find out how they are coping.

Ron Shargian, 15, said growing up in southern Israel has meant learning to live with fear. He was 12 when he watched Hamas militants on paragliders soar over a wall meant to protect his community.

"It feels like some kind of nightmare," he told CBS News three years later, calling the experience on that fateful day surreal, "and something I wouldn't believe if anyone told me it's going to happen."

The attackers killed 17 of his neighbors in Netiv HaAsara, the Israeli community that was closest to the Gaza border.

As the assault unfolded, he and his family locked themselves inside their home's bomb shelter.

"Every time the gunshots get close to you, you think that that's the end, that they're coming to your house now," he recalled.

His family escaped after 11 hours, when security forces came to…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/