Current:Home > StocksGrandson recounts seeing graphic video of beloved grandmother killed by Hamas -TrueNorth Capital Hub
Grandson recounts seeing graphic video of beloved grandmother killed by Hamas
View
Date:2025-04-15 06:31:08
Yoav Shimoni opened up to ABC News about the traumatic moment he saw a graphic video of his beloved grandmother lying on the floor of her home dying, surrounded by Hamas terrorists who posted her final moments on her Facebook for her family to see.
Just 10 minutes before militants broke into Bracha Levinson's home on Saturday at Israel's Nir Oz kibbutz, Levinson was texting her daughters, "concerned about them more than she was herself," said Shimoni, 24, who lives in Canada.
But then Shimoni's sister frantically messaged the family text group asking if they had seen their grandmother's Facebook post.
"Immediately, I went to her Facebook page. And I saw a video with her lying on her living room floor with her arms clenched on her chest, covered in blood, and blood surrounding her. A few men with guns standing above her and shouting," Shimoni said.
MORE: Timeline: A look into the long history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
"We all saw the video. Even my little brother," he said.
"I was freaking out, trying to make sense of what's happening. Just, like, pacing around my condo," he said. "I'm trying to call my parents, and hearing my mom screaming her lungs out to the phone when my dad is trying to, like, calm me down and try to explain to me what is happening."
The 24-year-old was in shock, he said, and also scared for the rest of his family who live in Israel.
As the day went on, Shimoni said, the family learned that not only did the militants take Levinson's and post "her dying body for us to see, but they also burned down her house and the entire community which my mom grew up in, I spent most of my summers in."
MORE: How to cope with photos, videos coming out of Israel-Hamas conflict, experts reveal
Levinson, 74, lived in Israel since she was a child after the Holocaust. She raised her children as a single mother in the Nir Oz kibbutz, where she lived the rest of her life. She was known in the community for the bicycle she always rode around as her main transportation.
"She was truly the pillar of our family, and a pillar in her community," her grandson said.
Shimoni last saw his grandmother at her home two weeks ago for the Jewish high holidays. Levinson always felt safest at her home, he said.
"There was no sense of any danger there," he noted. "Coming from the outside to that region, always you feel a bit tense, but it's always the thought of like 'OK, if there's a missile or something, then go to the shelter and we'll be safe.' Which, unfortunately on Saturday, that wasn't the case."
MORE: What is Hamas? The militant group behind surprise attack on Israel has ruled Gaza for years
Shimoni said he wants his grandmother to be remembered for her love of her family and her kibbutz.
He said he's comforted knowing his grandmother didn't have to witness "her community being torn apart."
And Shimoni said his heart breaks for everyone whose loved ones were taken hostage.
"At least I know that my grandmother is not suffering anymore," he said. "I imagine the pain that the neighbors, my mom's colleagues, and my family's friends, and all my friends are experiencing right now, with the unknowing of what happens with their loved ones that are in Gaza."
veryGood! (8228)
Related
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Maine governor signs off on new gun laws, mental health supports in wake of Lewiston shootings
- Once dominant at CBS News before a bitter departure, Dan Rather makes his first return in 18 years
- Josef Newgarden explains IndyCar rules violation but admits it's 'not very believable'
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Living with a criminal record: When does the sentence end? | The Excerpt
- Seeking engagement and purpose, corporate employees turn to workplace volunteering
- Pearl Skin is the Luminous Makeup Trend We're Obsessed With For Spring & Summer 2024
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- College protesters seek amnesty to keep arrests and suspensions from trailing them
Ranking
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- David Pryor, former governor and senator of Arkansas, is remembered
- MLS schedule April 27: Messi visits Foxborough, New York Red Bulls in another intriguing game
- How Quvenzhané Wallis Spent Her Break From Hollywood Being Normal
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Josef Newgarden explains IndyCar rules violation but admits it's 'not very believable'
- Oregon’s Sports Bra, a pub for women’s sports fans, plans national expansion as interest booms
- MLS schedule April 27: Messi visits Foxborough, New York Red Bulls in another intriguing game
Recommendation
Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
Jon Gosselin Reveals He Lost More Than 30 Pounds on Ozempic—and What He Now Regrets
Planned Parenthood announces $10 million voter campaign in North Carolina for 2024 election
Moderate Republicans look to stave off challenges from the right at Utah party convention
Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
Former NFL lineman Korey Cunningham found dead in New Jersey at age 28
United Methodists give early approval to measures that could pave new path on LGBTQ+ issues
Terique Owens, Terrell Owens' son, signs with 49ers after NFL draft