Current:Home > ScamsGrandson recounts seeing graphic video of beloved grandmother killed by Hamas -Secure Growth Academy
Grandson recounts seeing graphic video of beloved grandmother killed by Hamas
View
Date:2025-04-13 21:53:07
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! (492)
Related
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- SEC Proposes Landmark Rule Requiring Companies to Tell Investors of Risks Posed by Climate Change
- See Landon Barker's Mom Shanna Moakler Finally Meet Girlfriend Charli D'Amelio in Person
- How Russia's war in Ukraine is changing the world's oil markets
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Kick off Summer With a Major Flash Sale on Apple, Dyson, Peter Thomas Roth, Tarte, and More Top Brands
- Democrats urge Republicans to rescind RFK Jr. invitation to testify
- Global Warming Can Set The Stage for Deadly Tornadoes
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- Baltimore Continues Incinerating Trash, Despite Opposition from its New Mayor and City Council
Ranking
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- Rihanna Steps Down as CEO of Savage X Fenty, Takes on New Role
- Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson's Love Story Is Some Fairytale Bliss
- The value of good teeth
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Fox News stands in legal peril. It says defamation loss would harm all media
- House escalates an already heated battle over federal government diversity initiatives
- Moderna's COVID vaccine gambit: Hike the price, offer free doses for uninsured
Recommendation
The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
A “Tribute” to The Hunger Games: The Ultimate Fan Gift Guide
U.S. has welcomed more than 500,000 migrants as part of historic expansion of legal immigration under Biden
U.S. has welcomed more than 500,000 migrants as part of historic expansion of legal immigration under Biden
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
Biden and the EU's von der Leyen meet to ease tensions over trade, subsidy concerns
Want to Elect Climate Champions? Here’s How to Tell Who’s Really Serious About Climate Change
How Russia's war in Ukraine is changing the world's oil markets