Current:Home > NewsGrandson recounts seeing graphic video of beloved grandmother killed by Hamas -ProfitQuest Academy
Grandson recounts seeing graphic video of beloved grandmother killed by Hamas
View
Date:2025-04-12 21:59:07
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! (337)
Related
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- NYC Mayor Eric Adams Charged With Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Bribery
- Hurricane Helene's 'catastrophic' storm surge brings danger, disastrous memories
- Kane Brown's Most Adorable Dad Moments Are Guaranteed to Make Your Heart Sing
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- How Rooted Books in Nebraska is combatting book bans: 'We really, really care'
- Utah Supreme Court to decide viability of a ballot question deemed ‘counterfactual’ by lower court
- Biden wants to make active shooter drills in schools less traumatic for students
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- Hoda Kotb Announces She's Leaving Today After More Than 16 Years
Ranking
- Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
- Lady Gaga's Hair Transformation Will Break Your Poker Face
- CDC: Tenth death reported in listeria outbreak linked to Boar's Head meats
- NYC Mayor Eric Adams Charged With Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Bribery
- Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
- Brian Kelly offers idea for clearing up playoff bubble, but will CFP committee listen?
- Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh says Justin Herbert's ankle is 'progressing'
- Transform Your Bathroom Into a Relaxing Spa With These Must-Have Products
Recommendation
Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
Tommy John surgery is MLB's necessary evil 50 years later: 'We created this mess'
California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoes bill to help Black families reclaim taken land
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Attorney Says He’s “Very Eager” to Testify in Upcoming Trial
Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
Opinion: UNLV's QB mess over NIL first of many to come until athletes are made employees
Tommy Kramer, former Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowl QB, announces dementia diagnosis
Dancing With The Stars’ Carrie Ann Inaba Slams Anna Delvey Over “Dismissive” Exit