Israeli family says Hamas terrorists used son, 17, as a pawn to lure out and execute their neighbors: Teen and his mom murdered as dad and two daughters, 15 and 8, are taken hostage
A terrified Israeli family was captured by Hamas terrorists who used their teenage son as a pawn to execute their neighbors – before he and his mother were captured and killed.
Tomer Eliaz, 17, was ordered by terrorists to go door to door at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, near the southern border of Israel and Gaza, telling residents in Hebrew that it was “safe to open the door” during the October 7 War. siege.
The terrorists then stormed in and slaughtered everyone, while Eliaz was forced to witness the carnage and even help search for those hiding.
After the surprise attack, Tomer and his 50-year-old mother Dikla Arava Eliaz were both missing, but on Monday it was confirmed that both were killed.
Video streamed live on Facebook by the terrorists shows the family huddled as blood seeps from the leg of 48-year-old father Noam Elyakim. His eldest daughter Dafna cries with her hand over her mouth, while stepmother Dikla cradles his youngest daughter Ella Elyakim, 8, on her lap.
Both the girls and their wounded father were captured by Hamas and their mother, Mayaan Zin, who was not present, was sent harrowing photos of them in captivity.
Tomer Eliaz, 17, was used as a pawn by Hamas terrorists hours before he and his mother were captured and killed
Noam Elyakim, 48, (left) who was shot in the leg and held hostage by Hamas monsters, and Dikla Arava Eliaz, 50, (right) who was killed in the sickening attack
Pictured: Sister Dafna Elyakim, 15, and Ella Elyakim, 8, were both taken hostage by Hamas on October 7 while staying with their father, his girlfriend and their stepbrother Tomer when Hamas terrorists stormed their home
It was Zin’s sister who sent her a photo of her 15-year-old, dressed in what appears to be pajamas, despondent on a mattress in Gaza. The caption for the photo reads: “Wearing prayer clothes is better,” written in Arabic.
Another disturbing image shows both of her children together, but there is no sign of their father.
It is unclear how Zin’s sister obtained the photos and as of Monday the condition of the girls, along with that of their missing father, is unknown.
Through a translator, Zin told DailyMail.com that her daughters were not supposed to spend the fateful weekend with their father, but were visiting for a party at the kibbutz. She said they were going to do a dance performance.
Zin, who lives in central Israel, said tearfully during the midnight interview with DailyMail.com: “I have no idea what is happening there. I have no idea if they are being tortured, raped, whatever.”
She said the videos circulating on social media are “very extreme” and is trying to avoid them as she waits and prays for her girls to be alive.
She said her youngest, Ella, is only in third grade and her oldest, Dafna, is in 10th grade in high school.
‘They are cheerful, cheerful children. They love to dance, sing and make art. They have a lot of friends and would do anything for them.”
She wants her daughters to know how much she loves them and hopes they will return to her with her former husband and his new family.
“I have to be strong for my family and my daughters because when they see these interviews, it’s important that they see that I’m strong for them.”
“I’m waiting to hug and kiss them,” she said.
She heard the horrific news in the early morning of October 7 when her sister called her to tell her that her eldest daughter had been kidnapped by Hamas.
Zin said she immediately texted her ex. It was 9:16 a.m., almost three hours after Hamas had infiltrated the kibbutz and killed nearly a hundred innocent civilians.
She said her children don’t like the sound of the rockets when they launch and asked her ex if their daughters were okay, unaware that they were being held in their home by two armed terrorists.
In the text message she asked: ‘if everything was okay?’ and he replied, ‘No.’
In a panic, she tried to call her ex-partner’s girlfriend, Dikla, and her family on WhatsApp, but the messages could not be delivered.
She was then contacted by Dikla’s eldest son, who sent her a Facebook live broadcast streamed live by the terrorists on the kibbutz minutes before the deadly massacre.
Amit Daniel, the translator, became choked up as she told DailyMail.com that they had taken Dikla’s son and “forced him to go out with them and knock on everyone’s doors at the kibbutz.”
“He’s a boy of only seventeen,” she said.
‘They forced him to enter the houses, to hide in cupboards. You can even see in the video how scared he was when he opened the closet and saw people being shot right in front of his eyes.”
Posters for Dafna and Ella Elyakim who were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7
Pictured: Mother Mayaan Zin, 50, panics as her two daughters Dafna, 15 (left) and youngest daughter, Ella, 8, were taken hostage by Hamas
Zin said watching the video was horrifying.
There was a moment when the terrorists went through the house demanding to know where the other family members who were in their photos were.
‘It was from my own family and from others. I saw one of my daughters injured her hand.’
She added: ‘My eldest looks terrified and my youngest doesn’t understand what’s going on.’
Although she believes Israel is doing all it can for the release of her daughters and the other 150 hostages, she said the past seven days have been unbearable and she has barely slept or eaten.
Dafna Elyakim, 15, who was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists after they stormed her family’s home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7
Ella Elyakim, 8, who was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists along with her older sister Dafna and her father Noam
Dikla Arava Eliaz, 50, was killed along with her son Tomer by the Hamas terrorists
Since Hamas terrorists infiltrated the kibbutz on October 7, nearly 200 civilians have been kidnapped from Israel to the Gaza Strip. Their whereabouts remain unknown.
During the massacre, more than 1,400 Israelis were killed and more than 3,000 women, men and children, ranging in age from 3 months to 85 years old, were injured, murdered, beaten, raped and brutally separated from their loved ones by Hamas.
During the excruciating wait to find out if her daughters are safe, Zin said she stood together with all the other families whose loved ones were held captive.
‘I’m sure they’ll come back. I demand that from the government and the country,” she said.
A funeral for Tomer and Dikla Eliaz was held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday in the synagogue square in Kfar Maimon.