Diksha Sundriyal
HBO’s ‘One Day in October’ follows the story of people who survived the harrowing attacks of October 7, 2023. The first episode follows the story of Aya Meydan, who left her house in Kibbutz Be’eri, southern Israel, early in the morning to go cycling with her friend, Lior Weizman. However, the attacks started around the time she left the kibbutz entrance, and she got a message from her husband, who asked her to come back home. On her way back, she met three people who were running in the opposite direction and warned her that things were rather serious. One of them was Hisham Al-Karinawi, a Bedouin man who worked at the kibbutz dining room. As Aya was forced to run away from the kibbutz, Hisham stayed with her. After a lot of running around, they eventually found a place to hide in the bushes, where they spent the next few hours until help arrived in the form of Hisham’s four cousins.
While on their way to a safe place, they were stopped by Israeli Defense Forces, who held them at gunpoint over the suspicion of being terrorists. However, Aya clarified the whole thing, and they were allowed to move forward. Aya was dropped off at the Ofakim police station, where she spent hours in a shelter with other survivors. They were told to go to Beersheba, which was considered safer under the conditions. When Aya boarded the bus, Hisham and his cousins decided to stay with her throughout the journey and followed the bus all the way to Beersheba to ensure that she arrived safely. The experience of surviving the traumatic events of that day in October bonded Aya and Hisham, and both of them have dedicated their lives to helping people.
Aya Meydan is Dedicated to Serving the Community Today
Aya Meydan resides in Kibbutz Be’eri, Israel, with her husband, Omri, and their three children, where she works as a special education teacher. In the October 2023 attacks, she lost her cousin and her nephew. Her brother was severely wounded and lost his leg, and her niece underwent an operation to remove shrapnel from her legs. This, added to her own traumatic experience, led Aya to dedicate herself to helping others. In her blog post on the second anniversary of the attacks, she revealed that she kept herself together by focusing on three things. The first one was to keep herself engaged through sports, which include running and cycling. Secondly, she focused on organizing commemoration and remembrance events for the lives lost on that unfaithful day, which includes her dear friend, Lior Weizman.
Thirdly, Aya decided to tell her story of survival so that the horrors of that day wouldn’t be “minimized” or “normalized” and people would get to see “how much evil there was there that day.” Following the attacks, she decided to take on elementary education in the kibbutz under her wing and was in charge of it until June 2025. She also returned to cycling, retracing the route she took on October 7, 2023, for the first time, one year later in October 2024. Several other cyclists joined her in turning it into a remembrance event, which they dedicated to Lior and the other victims. In November 2024, she was a part of the “Running Because You Can’t Stop” project, in which she returned to the running trails she used to frequent before the attacks.
In February 2025, she competed in the Ironman triathlon, dedicating it to her friend, Lior. In May, she competed in the Ashkelon Triathlon, National Sprint Championship, which was also devoted to Lior’s memory. In October, she organized a memorial event, in association with Israel Premier-Tech Group, for the eleven cyclists who were murdered in the 2023 attacks. The event, attended by hundreds of cyclists nationwide, focused on a road and cross-country ride from Sderot to Bari, following which a ceremony was held to commemorate and discuss the victims. Earlier in 2025, Aya gave a lecture called ‘The Torch of Hope’ where she recounted the events of that day, the story of her survival, and her process of rehabilitation.
Aya has also shared her story on a blog post she wrote in November 2023 on Bike Panel and on a program called ‘Have You Seen the Horizon.’ In September 2025, she also appeared in the podcast called ‘Partners in Destiny.’ In the past two years, Aya has used her social media presence to spread awareness about the attacks, while also showing solidarity with the people who are still being held captive by the terrorists. She has also used the medium to express her grief, loss, and hope for the future through heartfelt poems.
Hisham Al-Karinawi is Likely Serving the Community as an Officer of the Law Today
Hisham Al-Karinawi resides in Rahat, where he likely works as an officer in the Israeli police force, dedicating himself to keeping the community and its people safe. He has an affinity for guns and often visits a firing range to hone his shooting skills. In his personal time, Hisham loves to explore the gifts of nature and travel. Apart from traveling across Israel, he has also visited Georgia and Turkey. He is also a devout family man and is always there for his loved ones. He supports what appears to be his brother’s AC business and regularly posts on social media about his work and the good services he provides.
Hisham is also a doting uncle to his nephews and nieces and loves to spend time with them and his family members. He has refrained from talking about the events of October 2023. However, he did agree to be a part of ‘One Day in October’ in which he appears with Aya Meydan, with whom he has remained in touch, and his cousins. In February 2024, he and his cousins were among the 12 people honored with the Bedouin Heroes in Jerusalem awards. Other than this, Hisham prefers to keep the more personal details of his life to himself.
Read More: Amit Amar and Gali Amar: Where Are the Survivors Now?
