The Iron Lions

Rotem Mathias, 16 years old, and his family lived in Kibbutz Holit when Hamas terrorists stormed it last Saturday. Rotem's father helped his parents block the doors of their house with mattresses and tables, among other things. As the gunmen sprayed bullets through the windows, Rotem's parents, Shlomi and Shahar, were murdered in front of him. But it wasn't enough. Rotem, an Israeli-American citizen, told ABC that the terrorists opened the door. They threw a grenade or something that exploded. My dad said he lost his arm, and then my mom died on top of me.” As Hamas terrorists searched for survivors, Rotem hid alone from a bloodied man for hours. He managed to send a short text message to the members of his extended family, telling them his parents had passed away. He shared: "I just held my breath, trying to keep it down as much as I could. I didn't move. I was scared. I didn't make any noise. I prayed that they wouldn't find me." After that, the terrorists set fire to Rotem's house and others in the kibbutz, which forced him to leave. Israeli forces eventually located and rescued him. Now, Rotem is in Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva alongside his older sister, who also hid throughout the ordeal but managed to barricade herself in a safe room. Ilan, the grandfather of the orphaned siblings, told ABC about the terrible massacre: "They came back and wanted to kill everyone." This is a story from the Holocaust - they lit a fire so that if there were any survivors, they would get out of the house, so they could murder them."