On October 7th, 2023, Maya Desiatnik was a lookout at the IDF base in Nahal Oz when she saw the terrorists breaking through the fence at 6:30 am. 52 soldiers fell at Nahal Oz that day; Desiatnik and others were forced to take refuge in a secure room for hours. After that room was set on fire, she and others escaped and hid for several more hours until they were rescued. Of the 23 lookouts at Nahal Oz, 15 were murdered, and 7 were kidnapped to Gaza; Maya was the only lookout to avoid being captured or killed.

In addition to her physical injuries, Maya has been plagued by PTSD and nightmares. In her talk, Maya will not only describe what happened to her that day but also her recovery and rehabilitation work with Belev Echad, a non-profit organization working to restore the physical and mental health of wounded IDF soldiers.