In a harrowing account of survival, an Israeli-American teenager, Rotem Mathias, narrated his ordeal of playing dead to escape the clutches of Hamas terrorists who stormed his home, brutally murdering his parents in a kibbutz near the Gaza border in southern Israel.
This incident was one of many that sparked the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.
From his hospital bed in Be'er Sheva, a city in southern Israel, Mathias recounted the horrifying events of the night when his family's home was invaded by Hamas militants. Upon receiving a warning of the impending attack, the family attempted to barricage their home with mattresses and tables. However, their efforts were futile as the militants shot open the door.
The ensuing violence claimed the lives of Mathias's parents, Shlomi and Deborah Mathias. Shlomi Mathias was reportedly killed by a grenade that severed his arm, while Deborah Mathias was fatally shot by the intruders. The bullet that ended Deborah's life also wounded Rotem, hitting him in the stomach.
In an interview with ABC News, Mathias said, "They throw a grenade or something that exploded. The last thing my dad said is he lost his arm and then my mom died on top of me."
With no escape route, the 16-year-old Israeli-American citizen was forced to feign death, hoping that the militants would not discover him. He described the chilling scene of the militants laughing as they surveyed the carnage. "I just stopped my breathing, I lowered it down as much as I possibly could," Mathias explained. "I didn't move. I was terrified. I didn't make any noise. And I prayed for any god I didn't really care which god I just prayed for a god that they won't find me."
Mathias remained motionless under his deceased mother's body for approximately 30 minutes. After the militants left, he sought refuge under a bed and later hid under a blanket in a laundry room, according to relatives who spoke to the Associated Press. He was eventually rescued by Israeli soldiers.
Meanwhile, the Mathiases' two daughters were hiding in safe rooms within the kibbutz, a stone's throw away from the site of their parents' murder. "All we could hear were gunshots and people screaming and bombs going off, cars exploding," recalled 21-year-old Shir Mathias.
Before her untimely death, their mother had instructed the daughters not to open the door of the safe rooms due to the infiltration of the kibbutz by Hamas terrorists. The sisters reportedly remained hidden for over 12 hours before being rescued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
"Its like if you close your eyes, you might think youre in a movie theater. Then you open your eyes and you realize: Im in my room. Im in my house. This is real. We could hear missiles flying down. We could hear them whistle and explode. It was insane. Ive never heard anything like this. It was terrifying," said 19-year-old Shakked Mathias.
The tragic incident occurred just hours after the family had enjoyed a festive gathering, with live music performed by the parents. Shlomi Mathias was a music teacher, and Debbie Mathias was a singer and songwriter.
The Israel-Hamas conflict has resulted in the death of more than 1,300 Israelis and over 1,300 Palestinians in Gaza. The Mathias family's tragic story is a stark reminder of the human cost of this ongoing conflict.
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