What we know about the Americans killed in the Israel-Hamas war as 27 die so far
At least 29 Americans have been killed in Israel as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues, according to the US State Department.
White House National Security Council Chairman John Kirby says the number of hostages taken by Hamas that are American is likely "less than a handful," while the number of people unaccounted for is 15. The White House hosted a virtual conversation on Friday with family members of the 15.
21-year-old Roey Weiser, an Israeli-American soldier, tragically lost his life during the unprecedented attack on Saturday, when Hamas fighters from the Gaza Strip rampaged through parts of southern Israel in what is said to be the deadliest Palestinian attack in Israel’s history.
Roey, who worked as a firefighter before joining the military, managed to save the lives of 12 other comrades by creating a distraction, firing at Hamas while allowing his fellow soldiers to escape.
“He died how he lived, by putting others first and when his base was overrun by terrorists, he went on his own to divert their attention allowing others to escape,” his mother Naomi Feifer-Weiser told CNN in an interview.
Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade
“Because of his bravery, at least 12 other soldiers are alive today,” the grieving mother added.
Roey was raised in Israel by his mother Naomi, from New York, and his father, Yami, from Maryland.
According to Yami’s post on Facebook, his son’s body was found on Tuesday and his funeral was held early Wednesday morning. The mourning father said his son’s death caused “indescribable heartbreak.”
“Our sole wish is to lay Roey to eternal rest and grieve properly,” Yami added.
24-year-old Lotan Abir (left) and 21-year-old Roey Weiser (right) were killed in the Hamas attack on SaturdayA relative of the young soldier in Maryland described him as their “favorite Israeli Washington sports fan. His smile lit up the room' who loved to eat donuts and talk about the Washington Commanders.”
Another victim has been named as Lotan Abir, a 24-year-old aspiring musician from Utah. He had travelled to Israel to attend a music festival along with others from Utah’s Jewish community.
Roey Weiser was an Israeli-American soldier who was tragically killed in the Hamas attack on SaturdayAbir, who worked as a DJ and musician in Utah, as well as a handyman in order to make ends meet, was described by Rabbi Avremi Zippel as “the sort of person that you would want to call your friend.”
He was one of 260 people who were killed at the music festival on Saturday morning.
Abir became separated from friends at the festival during the initial panic of the attack, according to his friend, Elad Ogorek.
“We knew it was going to be bad news; we didn't know what type of bad news it was gonna be. We actually said ourselves, and asked each other, 'What's better — to get kidnapped to Gaza or just die?,” Ogorek said.
Tiger attacks two people in five days as soldiers called in to hunt down big cat
“He died doing a thing we all like to do: to dance and enjoy our freedom,” the grieving friend added.
Shocking footage showing the abduction of Israelis by Hamas fighters has surfaced on the internet. It is unknown how many hostages are being held.The first American citizen identified was 32-year-old Hayim Katsman, who had been living in Israel, his mother told ABC News. She initially feared her son was taken hostage, before learning he had been killed when Hamas burst into his apartment, where he was hiding with a female neighbour.
According to his mother, the neighbour was released, but her son was shot dead and his body was later recovered from the flat. He was hiding in a closet with Avital Alajem.
Hayim was closest to the door, according to Avital, and his body absorbed the bullets, shielding Avital. Avital said: "He was murdered. I was saved."
Hayim had studied conservative trends and radicalism within the Zionist religious community, played bass guitar and worked as a DJ playing Arabic music.
He did gardening and landscaping at the kibbutz, his mother said. She described him as "very industrious and independent, saying he was born in Israel but had acquired dual citizenship in the US.
Hayim was killed when Hamas fighters found him hiding in a closet with a neighbour (Facebook)
Hayim Katsman was a recent PhD graduate from the University of Washington (Facebook)Hayim had recently completed his doctorate at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he served as co-coordinator of an Israel-Palestine research group. His doctorate was titled: 'Religious nationalism in Israel/Palestine". It is unusual for Israelis to refer to the region that way instead of just Israel or Israel and the occupied territories.
Deborah and Shlomi Martias were also identified as two of the victims killed. They died at their home in Be'er-Sheva, the largest city in southern Israel, after Hamas militants invaded their home.
Throughout the ordeal, Deborah, 50, had been in contact with her father, Ilan Troen, a professor of Israel Studies at Brandeis University in Massachusetts. She had told him about how they were trying to lock their home after they heard shouting in Arabic outside, according to MassLive.
Deborah and Shlomi Martias were killed in their home in Be'er-Sheva (Facebook)That was the last time he heard from Deborah. The militants stormed their home and shot her and her husband, 49, dead. Their 16-year-old son Rotem survived but sustained a gunshot wound to the chest.
He had to hide under the bed and in the laundry room while he waited for rescuers to come help him and others on the street — which was also set ablaze as Hamas fighters allegedly hoped survivors would run out so they could be shot. According to Mr Troen, Deborah's last act of motherhood was defending her son.
"[Deborah and Shlomi] loved music, life, each other, their kids," he said. "I would ask him to think of the joy that they sought and had in their lives rather than focus on that day."
Danielle Ben-Senyor was a nurse whose family described her as an "angel". The 34-year-old was born in California but moved to Israel to help take care of her parents.
Danielle Ben-Senyor was a nurse from California who was working at the festival in Israel when Hamas militants attacked (daniellebensenior/INSTAGRAM)She was at the Supernova music festival that was attacked by Hamas fighters and originally considered among the missing. However, Israeli authorities told her family on Wednesday that she had been shot, according to her cousin, Ran Ben-Senior who described the situation as a "nightmare".
She and a group of friends began driving from their neighborhood near Tel Aviv to the festival at 3am on Saturday, according to her cousin Rikki. She used several different spellings of her name, but her preferred was Danielle Ben-Senyor.
She worked as an intensive care nurse at a hospital in Tel Aviv during the pandemic and then decided to change careers. Her dream job was to organize and promote concerts like the one she was killed at. Riki said that heading to the concert with her friends was "the first time in so long [Danielle] was going to just relax and dance."
Family members originally thought she was missing and friends searched for her at nearby hospitals. However, her body was found by the Israeli army, according to Rikki. She had been shot. Speaking through tears, Rikki said: "We are all broken. We have to be strong, but the war is just begun."
Itay Glisko initially went missing after the base where he was serving came under surprise attack by militants (Facebook)
Itay Glisko was born in Paramus, New Jersey, and was serving in the Israeli army at the time of his death (Facebook)20-year-old Itay Glisko was a dual citizen from Paramus, New Jersey. He was serving in the Israel Defense Forces when he was killed by Hamas according to Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey. His cousin, Eyal Glisko, who lives in New Jersey said his family had moved to Israel when he was young and he joined the military at the age of 18 as part of the country's mandatory service, Eyal said: "He was doing his duty, that's it."
Adrienne Neta moved from California to Israel in 1981 to provide nursing services to needy children (NBC/FCC Communications)Longtime nurse and mother of four Adrienne Neta, 66, was also confirmed dead at the hands of the Hamas' attack. The mother had grown up in California before moving to Israel decades ago.
Adrienne, who was the daughter of a US Air force engineer, moved to Israel in 1981. She did what she knew best: nursing. Adrienne cared for others in the Regional Hospital in the Negev desert, according to her son Nahar Neta.
Nahar was heartbroken to hear his mother's name among the dead. He admitted that he'd hoped she make it out of the war zone somehow and find a way to stay alive.
She’s a tough lady," he said. "She’s been through a lot in her life. You know, coming from being a young California hippie and coming to the Negev in the early '80s was not an easy, not an easy move.”
The last time he spoke to her was during a conference call with his other siblings, during which they tried to calm her down when she heard gunshots.
He heard his sister screaming and weeping on the phone while his brother explained how Hamas terrorist had breached the shelter their mother was in. Shortly after, the call disconnected and that was the last time Nahar spoke with his mother.
The parents of 27-year-old Israeli-American Aryeh Ziering told CBS News that their son was one of the first soldiers killed in action. Aryeh had remained in the Israeli military after his mandatory service as he wanted to protect his country, according to his parents.
Aryeh Ziering was a captain in the dog handling unit of the IDF (Facebook)On Sunday morning his parents received "a knock you never want to get". It was soldiers at the door of Debbie and Mark to inform them that their son Aryeh had died. His dad said Aryeh is still present and he can feel his energy, "but he's not coming back."
Aryeh was a captain in the Israel Defense Forces’ dog-handling unit. His parents are from New York and Maine and moved to Israel after getting married, with Aryeh being born and raised in Israel.
According to his aunt, he grew up speaking English with his parents and went to summer camp in the US. His aunt Debby said he grew up not wanting to be a soldier, but "when my nephew does something, he does it 200 per cent. And he was very passionate about protecting his country". She added he was a "fun-loving, athletic, great kid."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
