An Israeli-American family thought they had made it to relative safety texting relatives of their dire situation just moments before they were killed.
Yonatan (Johnny) Kedem Siman Tov, his wife Tamar Kedem-Siman Tov, 35, and their three young children – 6-year-old twin girls Shahar and Arbel and 4-year-old son Omer – as well as his 70-year-old mother Carol Siman Tov were all killed at Nir Oz kibbutz outside of Gaza.
When Hamas rockets began landing, the family fled to a safe room. Once inside, they texted relatives they were safe, according to a report by The Times of Israel.
Tamar wrote: “Hi guys, we got into the shelter in our house, we are all going OK.”
Then, as Hamas attempted to burn them out, he wrote: “They’re here. They’re burning us. We’re suffocating.”
An hour later, the messages eventually stopped. Hamas terrorists entered the safe room and gunned them down.
Family friend, Yishai Lacob, posted to Facebook: “Our hearts are shattered. An entire family was killed by evil murderers who shot the children and parents simply because they were Jewish. And this is just one story, among so many. It’s unbearable.”
Johnny Siman Tov was a wheat farmer and Kedem-Siman Tov was a community leader running to become head of the Eshkol Regional Council.
The horrific attack launched by Hamas on October 7 resulted in the death of at least 1,300 Israelis while the IDF says at least 120 hostages were taken.
The White House has confirmed that 27 Americans were killed in the attack with 14 still missing. Nationals from many nations have been killed or taken hostage.
Israel has responded to the attack with a “complete siege” of Gaza while launching thousands of airstrikes.
Palestinian authorities said that at least 2,200 people have died in Gaza since the fighting began.
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