Former Israeli MK Haim Yellin Reflects on October 7 Attack and New Mission of Unity

Haim Yellin, a former member of the Knesset and ex-head of the Eshkol Regional Council, shared his experience surviving the October 7 massacre during a special interview with Oded Harush. Yellin, who lives in Be'eri, recounted spending 11 hours in a reinforced security room (mamad) during the attack, emerging to witness horrific scenes that left him feeling disconnected from reality. He described seeing bodies and overwhelming darkness that defied description.

Yellin revealed that about five years before the attack, he suffered a serious accident where he lost consciousness and had a near-death experience involving visions of light and messengers telling him he was destined to be a public figure. He connected this earlier experience to surviving October 7, saying, "It was not by chance that I survived the seventh of October."

Unlike his previous calling to public service, Yellin said the message he received after October 7 was one of unity rather than anger. He emphasized that every stage of his life, including serving as Eshkol Regional Council head from 2007 to 2015 and later as a Knesset member for the Yesh Atid party, was purposeful. Yellin was placed seventh on Yesh Atid’s list in the 20th Knesset elections and secured a seat when the party won 11 mandates.

The full interview with Oded Harush, in which Yellin discusses his new mission and reflections on the tragedy, is scheduled to air at 22:25.