Israeli Hostage Recounts Stalling Hamas Terrorists and Surviving Ordeal

An Israeli woman was able to stave off her murder at the hands of Hamas terrorists by killing them with kindness ... quite literally.

Rachel Edri is being hailed as a hero across Israel right now because of this harrowing story she recently recounted about being taken hostage by 5 Hamas members on Saturday morning ... when the surprise attack against her country was carried out.

She and her husband, who live in Ofakim, were held at gunpoint after the Hamas members stormed their home -- but she was able to keep them at bay for about 15 hours due to her incredible hospitality ... something she dished out as a way to distract the intruders.

You see ... one of Rachel's kids was a cop, and once he caught wind of his parents' situation -- he rounded up other officers and, while negotiating with the terrorists, scoped out the place to find a way to rescue his family. In the meantime, Mama Bear was playing a good host ... feeding the Hamas guys while also trying to chat them up with banter and conversation, all in an effort to stall.

Rachel, who's a grandmother, says she served coffee and cookies during the standoff, and apparently, it worked -- because when her son and the other officers eventually stormed the place, the terrorists were all stuffing their faces and weren't able to fire back. They were all killed on sight.