The mother of the fifth Canadian citizen confirmed dead in the Hamas attack on Israel has revealed that he threw himself onto a grenade to save his girlfriend.
While making the revelation, Ayelet Shachar-Epstein said Netta Epstein, her 21-year-old son, was sheltering with his girlfriend in a safe room at the Kfar Azar kibbutz when Hamas gunmen broke inside.
She told Global News that Hamas gunmen shot her son and tossed the explosive at the couple but her son smothered it with his body. His girlfriend, Irene Shavit, did not die was rescued later.
Israeli-born Epstein acquired Canadian citizenship through his grandmother, who was born in Montreal. He served in the Israel Defense Force until August.
Shachar-Epstein said: “It’s really important that the world knows what we went through. The people that live on our kibbutz are peace-loving people that hold their hands out for peace.
“And what’s been done to us is slaughter.”
Shachar-Epstein, who is also a Canadian, survived the Oct. 7 attack by hiding in a different safe room at Kfar Aza. But her mother, son, and two brothers-in-law were among those killed at the kibbutz that day.
After the alarms first buzzed at the kibbutz near the Gaza border at around 6:30 that morning, Shachar-Epstein messaged her son on WhatsApp, and they kept chatting until he died.
Check out their chat below:
Shachar-Epstein: Grandmother was shot and she is killed.
Netta Epstein: Ok. What was she killed from? Was it a rocket or was it terrorists?
Shachar-Epstein: It was terrorists.
Netta Epstein: F**k.
Shachar-Epstein: The remnants of the bullet is next to her.
Netta Epstein: Ok. Help grandpa.
Shachar-Epstein: How about you?
Netta Epstein: We’re hanging in there.
Shachar-Epstein: Is Irene afraid?
Netta Epstein: Both of us are afraid.
Shachar-Epstein: Of course you are. ❤️❤️❤️ I love you my boy.
Netta Epstein: ❤️
Shachar-Epstein: Call me now.
Shachar-Epstein: How about you?
Netta Epstein: We’re hanging in there.
Shachar-Epstein: Is Irene afraid?
Netta Epstein: Both of us are afraid.
Shachar-Epstein: Of course you are. ❤️❤️❤️ I love you my boy.
Netta Epstein: ❤️
Shachar-Epstein: Call me now.
Netta Epstein: What’s happening. Write to me.
Shachar-Epstein: Ofir [his uncle, who was the mayor of the municipality] is killed.
Netta Epstein: Ya daddy already wrote to me. How did it happen? Do you know?
Shachar-Epstein: It was a terrorist that shot him.
Netta Epstein: Mommy what’s happening? Give us a report.
Shachar-Epstein: We’re in the safe room, it’s locked. Did you lock?
Netta Epstein: Yes.
Shachar-Epstein: Terrorists entered the house next door. And could be in the house across the street.
Netta Epstein: I know.
Shachar-Epstein: Are they shooting in your neighbourhood?
Netta Epstein: Yes and there’s yelling in Hebrew and there’s massive shooting and there’s a car that’s beeping all the time and I don’t understand what’s going on. They’re outside my apartment.
Shachar-Epstein: Ok my sweetheart just hold Irene tightly. I love you. The soldiers are on the way to you.
Netta Epstein: We still hear them.
After she was unable to reach her son, Shachar-Epstein messaged his girlfriend’s phone. Her son replied but then she lost contact with him.
When she regained contact with her son’s girlfriend, she replied: He’s been shot by a shotgun and there was a grenade and I’m hiding under the bed.
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