Attacked while walking
First American to die in Hamas violence
December 22, 2023, 5:12 p.m
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Kibbutz Nir Oz becomes a target of Hamas terrorists on October 7th. Dozens of people die and many are kidnapped. A 73-year-old musician with dual citizenship has been missing since the attack. Now there is sad certainty.
A 73-year-old man in the hands of Hamas is dead. This was announced by Kibbutz Nir Oz, where he lived. Terrorists had already murdered him on October 7th and taken his body to the Gaza Strip, the newspapers “Haaretz” and “Jerusalem Post” reported, citing the kibbutz. His body is still in the Gaza Strip. According to the media, the jazz musician had both US and Israeli citizenship. His wife, also a dual national, was also abducted to the Gaza Strip on October 7th.
The couple was taking a walk through the kibbutz at the time of the massacre. According to the media, terrorists shot her husband in the head and her arm, the woman told neighbors on the phone when she called for help. There have been no signs of life from either of them since then.
The 73-year-old was born in northern Israel. During his time in the army he was active in the orchestra and in the 1970s he emigrated to the USA. After his return, he met his American wife in Israel. He leaves behind four children and seven grandchildren.
On October 7th, hundreds of fighters from Hamas, which the EU and the USA classify as a terrorist organization, entered Israeli towns and committed atrocities against civilians there. According to Israeli information, around 1,140 people were killed and around 250 people were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.
According to the Israeli government, there are still 129 hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. As part of a ceasefire brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the USA, 105 hostages, including Israelis and some foreign nationals, were released in November in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
In response to Hamas’s unprecedented attack, the Israeli army has since taken action against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, at least 20,000 people have now been killed.