Since October 9, Ben Ozeri has been digging through the rubble of Kibbutz Kfar Azar, Kibbutz Be'eri and Kibbutz Nir Oz looking for missing dogs and cats.
The 27-year-old is among a number of volunteers in Israel working to save the pets involved in the brutal October 7 terrorist attacks and reunite them with any surviving owners.
Many of the animals he has rescued have been severely traumatized by their experiences.
'Sometimes the animals I encounter are injured after being hit by shrapnel.
'One cat I rescued was completely covered in ash from the Kibbutzim fires.
'Pets that are normally friendly now run away terrified when they see people.'
When asked why he is risking his life to save animals, Ben – who runs a not-for-profit pet shop – said: 'Animals in this situation are completely helpless – it's a war zone and no one else is going to help them but me.'
One of the most heartwarming moments of his work so far was finding and reuniting Simba with his two owners Romi Sussi, 6, and Lia Sussi, 3.
Both their parents were murdered by Hamas terrorists.
Amazing footage shows the elation of pet owners as they are reunited with their lost friends
Ben posted videos of the sweet moment when pets are reunited with their owners on TikTok, where he has now amassed almost 60,000 followers
Since October 9, Ben Ozeri has been digging through the rubble of Kibbutz Kfar Azar, Kibbutz Be'eri and Kibbutz Nir Oz in search of missing dogs and cats
A now-viral video captures the moment their mother Odaya Swisa was shot dead as she tried to drive to safety. Her two terrified children hid in the back of the car.
'In this video I saw a dog fleeing from the car.
“I decided I had to find this dog and give it back to the two girls who survived,” Ben said.
Finally he found this dog – Simba – who was being cared for by a kind old woman.
'Simba was severely traumatized by the attacks and kept trying to bite me.'
'But when he finally heard the voices of Romi and Lia, he calmed down completely.
'When they opened the door, he started jumping up and down excitedly, licking them and rolling on the floor. He was so loving and kind.”
Ben posted a video of the beautiful moment that Simba and his owners were reunited on TikTok, where he has now amassed almost 60,000 followers.
As more Israelis learned about his volunteer work, they began contacting him with photos of their missing furry friends.
One of those people was Israeli singer Shaylee Atary, 34, who was looking for her dog Buckley and two cats, Grace and Cocas.
She had escaped from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Azar with her one-month-old baby Shaya. But her husband, filmmaker Yohav Winner, 37, was killed when terrorists threw grenades through their bedroom window.
Devastating footage shows the moment she learned of her husband's death – midway through an interview with Sky News.
She said: 'I felt ashamed to ask anyone to help me find my pets.
'It didn't feel right to take care of animals after my friends were slaughtered and my husband was murdered.
“But when I heard about Ben's team, I dared to dream that my pets might still be alive.”
Ben went to Kibbutz Kfar Azar on October 9 – just two days after the attacks – to look for Buckley, Grace and Cocas.
The ground was still strewn with dead bodies – including the bodies of armed terrorists still clutching grenades.
While searching Shaylee's house, a siren began to sound and five seconds later a rocket fell thirty feet from his body.
After visiting Shaylee's house ten times, he was able to find all of her pets, alive but badly injured.
An Israeli woman hugs her pet after being reunited weeks after the October 7 attacks
Like their owners, many pets are traumatized after the events of October 7
“Ben called me and showed me a picture of Buckley in my house. He was covered in ashes and badly injured, but it was him, still in the house.
She added, “Every time Ben brought a new pet back to me, I felt a glimmer of hope for a brief second.
“But I also feel so much sadness in that hope, because I was reminded over and over again that my husband was dead and not coming back.”
Shaylee's pets – like many people in Israel – are still traumatized by the events of October 7.
'Every time I fall asleep, my cat Grace desperately tries to wake me up because she thinks I'm dead.
“She stands on my stomach and 'meows' in my face to wake me up.” She's never done that before. When that doesn't work, she hits my face with her head.
“I think she must have been with Yoav's body after he died.”
In an emotional TikTok video, Shaylee is seen joyfully cuddling her cat Cocas after he was rescued by Ben.
'I cried so much when I saw my dogs and cats again.
“And now my dog Buckley comes and licks my tears every time I cry.”