An Israeli-American family whose kibbutz was attacked by Hamas on Saturday texted relatives telling them they were OK despite the onslaught – before sending harrowing messages detailing their final moments .
‘You are here. They burn us. “We are suffocating,” wrote Johnny Siman Tov, 36.
He and his wife Tamar Kedem-Simian Tov, 35; Her three children, aged between two and five, and Johnny’s mother, Carol Simian Tov, 70, were all killed on Saturday.
Johnny, his two-year-old children Omer and five-year-old twins Arbel and Shachar were all American citizens, as was his mother. His wife’s nationality was unclear.
The six lived on Kibbutz Nir Oz near the Gaza Strip – a community of 400 people. 80 people were killed in the attack on Saturday.
As Hamas terrorists advanced, Tamar Kedem-Simian Tov sent text messages to friends in Australia saying they were safe.
Tamar Kedem-Siman Tov with her husband Johnny and their five-year-old daughters Shachar and Arbel and their two-year-old son Omer. They were murdered on Saturday
Carol Simian Tov, 70, was killed on Saturday at Kibbutz Nir Oz, where she lived with her family. Her son, his wife and their three children were also killed
She wrote to her friends in Sydney, Yishai and Mor Lacob, from the concrete bunker of her home at around 2.45pm on Saturday, saying: “Hello guys, we have arrived at the emergency shelter at our house, we are all fine.”
An hour later the text messages to Australia stopped.
Johnny Simian Tov texted his sister Ranae Butler, who lives in Israel, and said, “They’re here.” They’re burning us. We’re suffocating.’
Carol Simian Tov had fled to her own home with her dog Charlie as Hamas advanced.
She was shot in her own safe space.
Two of Carol’s daughters and two of her sons survived the attack on the kibbutz, as did her father, Larry Butler.
One of the sons, Shachar Butler, who was the kibbutz’s security chief, was shot in the attack but is recovering.
“They barely put on their boots and pants and ran and fought bravely,” Ranae Butler said.
“We cry and hug each other,” she added.
“They’ve all been through hell.”
In Australia, the Lacobs panicked and tried to contact everyone they knew in the village to find out what was going on, before receiving news that the Tov’s safe room had been breached.
“Our hearts are broken,” Yishai wrote on Facebook on Monday.
“An entire family was killed by evil murderers who shot the children and parents just because they were Jews.”
“And that’s just one of many stories. ‘It’s unbearable.’
Nir Oz is a farming village with around 400 inhabitants and is located three kilometers from Gaza.
Despite its proximity to a conflict zone, Mor was described by the Sydney Morning Herald as a peaceful place to live and raise a family.
“They didn’t think something like this could happen,” she said.
Tamar was a social activist who campaigned to become head of the Eshkol Regional Council in Israel’s Southern District.
“She was such a special woman,” Mor told the publication.
“She always cared about poor people and always made sure that less fortunate people had the same opportunities.”
The family hid in a concrete bunker at their home in southern Israel before it was breached. Tamar (left) uploaded this photo four days ago
Friends flooded Facebook with tributes to the young family (pictured)
“She was a living example of these values.”
Just four days ago, the mother of three posted photos of her local council campaign on Facebook.
“Half-week recap post because even Facebook can’t keep up with me on this holiday,” she wrote in a post translated from Hebrew into English on Thursday.
“The area speaks for itself – we want a thoughtful community leader who sees the residents – young to old.”
Its aim was to improve health, employment and safety across the region.
Her posts were flooded with messages of support on Thursday.
On Tuesday they were overwhelmed with tributes.
“My heart is torn,” one person wrote.
Another said: “What a tragedy… I can’t believe it’s four days later.”
Pictured: Tamar and her husband Johnny, who were living in southern Israel when their village was attacked
The attacks began around 6:30 a.m. Israel time on Saturday, when thousands of Hamas rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel and as far away as Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
At the same time, hundreds of Palestinian militants paraglided across the heavily guarded border while others stormed cities by boat or blasted holes in the Gaza-Israel barrier.
They then went door-to-door shooting innocent civilians and soldiers before kidnapping more than 100 Israelis and taking them to Gaza.