An Israeli scholar and retired Brandeis University professor whose daughter was killed by Hamas terrorists says he was on the phone with her when she was gunned down, using her body to shield her 16-year-old son from harm.
Ilan Troen, who recently retired from his role at the Massachusetts college, told CNN he was talking to his daughter, Debbie Shahar Troen Mathias, when the terrorist opened fire in the safe room in her room.
“We were on the phone with Deborah when she was killed,” Troen told “CNN This Morning” on Monday.
Troen’s son-in-law, Shlomi Matthias, was also killed as the couple covered their son, Rotem Mathias.
Ilan Troen recently moved back to Israel to be closer to his family. Facebook/Debbie Shahar
“We were on the phone all day with our grandson, Rotem, as he lay first under his body, and then found a place to escape under a blanket in the laundry,” Troen told CNN from Be’er Sheva, Israel.
Her grandson, Rotem – who was injured but will survive – used group text messages to communicate with the family.
“He was told not to talk and so he had to hide and use text,” Troen said. “By the time he was rescued, he had 4% left in his battery.”
“The burden of the shooting was borne by her mother,” Troen said, calling her slain daughter “a child of light and life.”
Retired Brandeis University professor Ilan Troen was talking to his daughter, Debbie Shahar Troen Mathias, when he was shot and killed by Hamas terrorists. Debbie Shahar Troen’s Facebook/son-in-law, Shlomi Matthias, was also killed in the attack. Facebook/ Debbie Shahar
“He, instead of being a scientist or a doctor, he said to me one day, ‘Dad, I have to do music, because it’s in my soul,'” Troen said.
Debbie attended the Berkeley College of Music in Boston, as well as the Rimon School of Music in Tel Aviv, where she met her husband.
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Sincere tributes poured in for the couple on Sunday when news first broke of their tragic deaths, with one describing Shlomi as “a loving person who loved to make music, who loved to teach, who loved life and who loved the country he lived in. “
Debbie died while protecting her 16-year-old son from danger. Facebook/Debbie Shahar
A friend of Debbie said she was a “beautiful soul” and shared a photo of the couple.
“I cannot believe my Friend and fellow poet Debbie Shahar Troen Mathias and her husband were killed in this senseless and horrific attack on Israel,” Ayala Zarfjian wrote on Facebook.
“We write poetry online and encourage each other. She is a beautiful soul. Last week, I was very happy to see the beautiful pictures from their holiday in the Netherlands. Rest in peace.”
The worst attack on Israel in 50 years: How we got here
2005: Israel unilaterally withdraws from the Gaza Strip three decades after winning the territory from Egypt in the Six-Day War.
2006: The terrorist group Hamas wins Palestinian legislative elections.
2007: Hamas takes control of Gaza in a civil war.
2008: Israel launched a military offensive against Gaza after Palestinian terrorists fired rockets into the city of Sderot.
2023: Hamas launches its biggest attack on Israel in 50 years.
More than 700 Israelis died, more than 2,150 were injured and 100 were taken hostage, with the death toll expected to rise after Hamas terrorists fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of militants into Israeli cities.
Hamas terrorists are seen taking women hostage and parading them through the streets in a gruesome video.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced “We are at war” and promised Hamas would pay an “unprecedented price.”
Gaza health officials reported at least 300 Palestinians killed with 2,200 injured.
Martin Kramer, a historian at Tel Aviv University, said Troen recently returned to Israel after retirement.
“My friend Ilan Troen, who has done so much for Israeli studies in America, has suffered an unimaginable loss. He had just retired from Brandeis and returned to Israel. A miracle wrapped in tragedy,” Kramer wrote.
The couple’s son Rotem was injured in the attack but managed to survive.Facebook
The pair are just two of at least 800 Israelis killed since Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Saturday.
The death toll is expected to rise further, with the fate of dozens of Israelis abducted to the Gaza Strip still unclear.
On Sunday night, Hamas and Islamic Jihad boasted that they were holding about 130 hostages, claiming these included high-ranking military officers.
Smoke billows from a building in Gaza following an Israeli counterattack on October 9, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced “We are at war” and promised Hamas would pay an “unprecedented price.”
Gaza health officials reported at least 300 Palestinians killed with 2,200 injured.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
