An Israeli-American family whose kibbutz was attacked by Hamas on Saturday texted their relatives to say they were fine amid the attack – before sending harrowing messages describing their final moments.
‘They are here. They burn us. We are suffocating,’ wrote Johnny Siman Tov (36).
He and his wife Tamar Kedem-Simian Tov, 35; their three children aged between two and five, and Johnny’s mother, Carol Simian Tov (70), were all killed on Saturday.
Johnny, his children Omer, two years old, 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 in the Nir Oz kibbutz, near the Gaza Strip – a community of 400 people. Eighty were killed in Saturday’s attack.
As the Hamas terrorists advanced, Tamar Kedem-Simian Tov sent messages to friends in Australia to say 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 killed on Saturday
Carol Simian Tov (70) was murdered on Saturday at the kibbutz Nir Oz where she lived with her family. Her son, his wife and their three children were also killed
She wrote to her Sydney friends, Yishai and Mor Lacob, from the concrete bunker of her home at around 2.45pm on Saturday, saying: ‘Hi guys, we got into the shelter in our house, we’re all going to be okay.’
An hour later the text messages to Australia stopped.
Johnny Simian Tov texted his sister, Ranae Butler, who lives in Israel, saying: ‘They’re here. They burn us. We are suffocating.’
Carol Simian Tov fled to her own home with her dog Charlie when Hamas advanced.
She was shot dead in her own safe room.
Two of Carol’s daughters and two of her sons survived the attack on the kibbutz, plus their father, Larry Butler.
One of the boys, Shachar Butler, who was head of security for the kibbutz, 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,” she added.
“They’ve all been through hell.”
In Australia, the Lacobs began to panic and tried to contact everyone they knew in town 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 vicious killers who shot the children and parents simply because they were Jewish.
‘And this is just one story, among so many. It’s unbearable.’
Nir Oz is a farming village with a population of about 400 and is two miles from Gaza.
Despite its proximity to a conflict zone, Mor has to the Sydney Morning Herald it was considered a peaceful place to live and raise a family.
“They wouldn’t have thought something like this could happen,” she said.
Tamar was a social activist who campaigned to become the head of the Eshkol Regional Council in Israel’s southern district.
“She was such a special woman,” Mor told the publication.
‘She always cared for the poor, always made sure that people who were less fortunate would have 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 council campaign on Facebook.
“Mid-week recap post because even Facebook can’t keep up with me this holiday,” she wrote Thursday in a post translated from Hebrew to English.
‘The area speaks for itself – we want an attentive head of the council, who sees the residents – from young to old.’
She aimed to improve health, employment, safety and security across the region.
Her posts were flooded with messages of support on Thursday.
By Tuesday, they were inundated with tributes.
“My heart is torn,” one person wrote.
Another said: ‘What a tragedy… Can’t believe we’re four days later.’
In the photo: Tamar and her husband Johnny, who lived in the south of Israel when their village was attacked
The attacks began around 6:30 a.m. Israeli time on Saturday when thousands of Hamas rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel and as far as Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
At the same time, hundreds of Palestinian militants were parachuting across the heavily guarded border, while others stormed towns by boat or after shooting holes in the Gaza-Israel barrier.
They then went door to door shooting innocent civilians and soldiers before kidnapping and taking more than 100 Israelis into Gaza.