The Tragic Last Minutes of the Tov family: Horrifying texts of massacred family lay bare Hamas terror
NIR OZ, ISRAEL: An Israeli-American family including three young children were killed by Hamas militants just moments after their mother texted friends to confirm that they were safe in a bomb shelter amid the ongoing deadly attack.
Tamar Kedem-Siman Tov and her husband Yonatan (Johnny), their three children aged between two and five, and Johnny's mother Carol Simian Tov, 70, were all killed on Saturday, October 7 after they rushed into a bunker at their home in Nir Oz, a kibbutz on the outskirts of Gaza.
Johnny was an American citizen as well as his mother and children. His wife's nationality is still unknown.
An entire family murdered in cold blood.
— Ella Travels אלה קינן (@EllaTravelsLove) October 8, 2023
Kedem family: Father Jonathan, mother Tamar, 6-year-old girls Shachar and Arbel, and 4-year-old boy Omer.
All of them murdered by Palestinian terrorists at Nir-oz kibbutz.
Just because they’re Jews. pic.twitter.com/YkKyfrzmdp
What did the Tov family say in their last texts?
As the Hamas attack escalated, Kedem-Siman Tov reportedly sent a WhatsApp text to her friends in Sydney to confirm that they were safe amid the bombardment of nearly 2000 missiles by the militant organization.
“Hi guys, we got into the shelter in our house, we're all going okay,” she wrote to her friends, Yishai and Mor Lacob, from the concrete bunker of her home at about 2.45 pm on Saturday, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Tamar and Yonatan Kedem-Siman Tov with daughters Shachar and Arbel and son Omer were killed by Hamas terrorists in their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz.
— Miss T (@phxsungoddess) October 9, 2023
Remember their names. pic.twitter.com/EWawJiTedb
But when Tamar stopped responding, his friends started to panic and tried contacting everyone they knew in the village to find out what was going on, before receiving the news that the Tov's safe room had been raided by militants.
“It started to get really scary. We’re trying to call her and message her. We were trying to speak with people there … people we might know in this area, we were harassing everyone,” Mor told the Morning Herald.
Before militants slaughtered the family, Johnny also texted his sister, Ranae Butler, saying “They're here. They're burning us. We're suffocating.”
“They barely put on their boots and pants and ran and fought in bravery,” Butler said, adding “We're crying and hugging. They've all been through hell.”
Who was Tamar Kedem-Siman Tov?
As per reports, Tamar was a community activist and women’s rights activist who had been campaigning to become the head of the Eshkol Regional Council, in Israel's southern district.
“She was such a special woman. She always cared about the poor people, and always made sure that people less fortunate would have the same opportunities. She was a living example of these values,” Mor said.
Just three days before her death, the mother-of-three had been sharing pictures of her council campaign on Facebook. "Half-week summary post, because even Facebook can't keep up with me this holiday," she wrote.
Another friend, Tzofia Cohen, also mourned her death, saying Tamar was “a student in the paths to generations program at Kaye Academic College on the education path where I taught, and she immediately continued to a master’s degree, so impressive.”
“Their holy memories should be a blessing. I so much hoped that they would be found, and the bitter news hit me; Tamar, my love, I’m having trouble believing; how can this be?” she continued.