Parents Give Their Lives to Shield Teenage Son From Hamas Gunmen
Debbie Shahar Troen Mathias and Shlomi Mathias pose in a photo posted to Debbie Shahar Troen Mathias's Facebook Sept. 30.
A couple gave up their lives together as they covered the body of their teenage son, according to reporting from Daniel Estrin, NPR’s international correspondent in Jerusalem. Estrin said that in an Israeli hospital, he came across one of his college professors, Professor Ilan Troen. Troen had recently retired from Brandeis University near Boston. Troen told him:
My daughter and son in law were killed today, but, in their dying, saved his life. They fell at his body. They were all together in the secure room. And they covered his body, and he was saved. He — nevertheless, a bullet penetrated them and went into his abdomen.
These two brave parents lost their lives today as they shielded their teenage son from a hail of bullets.
Hamas gunman stormed into their home and shot them as they lay on top of their son to try and protect him.
The young boy was shot in the abdomen and is currently in… pic.twitter.com/mSddoo0Tmb
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) October 9, 2023
The Daily Mail reported that the couple is Debbie Shahar Troen Mathias and Shlomi Mathias, and that their son is in hospital. Let’s honor the loving legacy of this couple and pray for their son.
Aliya Kuykendall is a staff writer and proofreader for The Stream. You can follow Aliya on X @AliyaKuykendall and follow The Stream @Streamdotorg.
