Middle East

‘It was like a live feed’ - Irish-Israeli woman on nephew who survived Hamas attack

Dublin-based Maya Shani lost her aunt and uncle in the October 7th dawn attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel and her 16-year-old nephew stayed in touch with family by text

Maya Shani pins a photograph of her aunt and uncle Shachar and Shlomi Mathias who were killed in the October 7th attack by Hamas to a wall outside the Israeli embassy in Dublin.

Simran Kathuria
Thu Oct 19 2023 - 06:00

A photograph of Maya Shani’s uncle and aunt, Deborah and Shlomi Mathias, remains stuck to the wall outside the Israeli embassy in Dublin. Under the photograph is the line: “Murdered by Hamas”.

The Irish-Israeli woman taped the photograph of the happy couple on the wall last week during a vigil as mourners gathered to mourn those killed in the October 7th attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The photograph of the Mathias couple is taped along with other Israelis who were either killed or taken hostage by Hamas. The Jewish community has offered its condolences to the bereaved families, with many leaving floral tributes at the embassy wall.

Photographs and flowers outside the Israeli embassy in Dublin after a protest march in support of Israel. Photograph: Alan Betson

Deborah and Shlomi Mathias were among the 1,400 Israelis killed in the surprise attack, the worst attack on Israeli soil. The Israeli couple left behind their 16-year-old son who survived the attack.

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The couple lived in lived in Israel’s kibbutz Holit in south-western Israel, one of the villages surrounding Gaza, almost 10 minutes away from the border. Their home along with others in the village was attacked in the dawn raid by Hamas.

“My aunt and uncle died while protecting their 16-year-old son, who survived the attack but got injured by the bullet that went through his parents,” said Maya, who was born in Israel to an Irish mother and Israeli father. She now lives in Dublin with her husband and children.

Her aunt and uncle were shot by Hamas, while their 16-year-old son found safety in a hiding place for hours. His two sisters went into hiding in another location in the kibbutz with no phone coverage. The three siblings hid for hours to survive.

“He was stuck in the house with shock and panic for 10 to 11 hours and remained quiet until help arrived. His sisters hid for 14 hours,” said Maya.

“He couldn’t speak on the phone as Hamas militants were still present in the house. He communicated with us silently through WhatsApp. It was like a live feed.”

Across the kibbutz Israeli civilians woke up to the sound of sirens and gunshots on October 7th as Hamas raided their homes.

The attack has led to a spiral of violence with Israel’s retaliatory bombing of Gaza leading to the deaths of thousands of Palestinians and the displacement of hundreds of thousands more as they flee south in advance of anticipated ground offensive from Israel to the north.

Maya is terrified about her family left in Israel. She considers her 16-year-old cousin’s survival a miracle.

“He’s relatively okay; he’s alive. He is now surrounded by a lot of family who are looking after him. He had the bullet removed and the other shrapnel in his legs during surgery,” she said.

“But this trauma will stay for the rest of his life.”

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