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(NewsNation) — At least 30 Americans have been killed in Israel since Hamas launched a surprise terror attack earlier this month, according to the U.S. State Department.
That number has gone up in recent days as officials continue to investigate the full scale of Hamas’ brutal surprise assault on Oct. 7. The U.S. is currently aware of 13 missing citizens, officials said Sunday.
It’s unclear how many, if any, U.S. citizens have died in Gaza.
Here’s what we know about the Americans who have been killed.
Deborah Matias
A 50-year-old Missouri native, Matias died while shielding her 16-year-old son from gunshots, according to her father, Illan Troen. He was on the phone with Matias when Hamas terrorists attacked the family’s home.
“The last words from her was that ‘I hear glass breaking, they’re speaking in Arabic and I hear shots,’” Troen told MSNBC.
Matias’ husband, Shlomi, also died in the attack, Troen said. Thanks to his parents, the couple’s 16-year-old son, Rotem, survived.
Hayim Katsman
A 32-year-old peace activist, Katsman was found killed in his home on Kibbutz Holit, according to the New York Times.
He had recently completed his doctorate at the University of Washington, where he served as co-coordinator of an Israel-Palestine research group, the Times reported.
Katsman died while hiding in a closet with his neighbor, Avital Alajem. His body absorbed the gunfire and protected Alajem, she told CNN.
Cindy Flash
Flash, 67, originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, was killed along with her Israeli husband, Igal, per USA Today. The couple were living in Kfar Aza, a kibbutz in southern Israel near Gaza.
Flash’s daughter, Keren, was exchanging text messages with her mother when Hamas terrorists attacked.
“They are breaking down the safe room door,” Flash said in one of her final messages. “We need someone to come by the house right now.”
Keren told USA Today her mother spent her life advocating for the rights of Palestinians and had the “sweetest, biggest heart.”
Igal Wachs & Amit Wachs
Brothers Igal Wachs, 53, and Amit Wachs, 48, were killed when Hamas attacked their village of Netiv HaAsara, Igal’s ex-wife, Liat Oren-Wachs, told CNN.
The brothers, whom Oren-Wachs described as “very family-oriented,” were members of the village’s security team and reportedly died trying to defend the community.
Daniel Ben-Senior
The 34-year-old nurse from California was among those killed at the Tribe of Nova music festival in southern Israel, The New York Times reported.
Ben-Senior had moved to Israel to help care for her parents, and family members described her as an “angel.”
“She had a big heart and a big smile and always tried to help,” her cousin, Ran Ben-Senior, told NBC.
Jonathan Rom
Born in South Carolina, Rom, 23, was killed at the outdoor music festival where the first attack occurred, according to the Washington Post.
Witnesses told family members that Rom had helped a friend try to escape amid the chaos.
“He didn’t think to run as fast as he could on his own. He wanted to help someone. He was a hero,” a cousin, Daniel Zaken, told The Post.
Aryeh Ziering
The 27-year-old Israeli American was serving in the Israel Defense Forces when troops and reservists were called into action following Hamas’ surprise attack, CBS News reported.
Ziering, the grandson of Holocaust survivors, raced to respond. He was among the first Israeli soldiers killed in action that morning.
Roey Weiser
Staff Sgt. Roey Weiser, 21, was stationed at the Kerem Shalom border crossing when Hamas terrorists attacked, CNN reported.
When the base was overrun, Weiser sacrificed himself as a distraction, allowing 12 others to escape, his mother, Naomi Feifer-Weiser, told the outlet.
“Roey lived his life to the fullest, almost always with a smile on his face,” his mother said. “He was always looking for ways to help those around him, and before he was conscripted, he was a volunteer firefighter who was always the first to jump into action when needed.”
Lotan Abir
The 24-year-old Utah man was among those killed while attending the music festival in southern Israel, according to NewsNation affiliate ABC4.
Rabbi Avremi Zippel said Abir was a member of the Young Jewish Professionals community in Utah and had been living in the state for nine months.
Danielle Waldman
Born in Palo Alto, California, 24-year-old Waldman was killed alongside her boyfriend of six years while attending the music festival in southern Israel, her father Eyal Waldman told CNN.
“She was the happiest kid ever and everybody really loved her,” Eyal told i24NEWS, an Israeli-based news channel.
Eyal tracked his daughter’s iPhone and found the white vehicle in which she and others tried to escape. He said four or five people were in the car with “no chance to defend themselves” when Hamas terrorists executed them.
Itay Glisko
Glisko, 20, was a dual citizen from Paramus, New Jersey, who was serving in the Israel Defense Forces when Hamas killed him, The New York Times reported.
“A soldier that was with him said he fought with courage to the end,” Zehava Glisko Kaufman, a family relative, told The Daily Beast. “He was truly an amazing kid.”
Adrienne Neta
Neta, 66, was a longtime nurse and mother of four who grew up in California before moving to Israel decades ago, according to NBC News.
She devoted her life to helping and caring for others, her son Nahar Neta told the outlet.
Nahar last spoke to his mother on a family group call as Hamas terrorists attacked their home.
“I heard my sister screaming and crying on the phone,” he said.
The phone disconnected shortly thereafter.
This story will continue to be updated as NewsNation learns more about the American victims.
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