He Watched Hamas Kill His Son on Facebook Live, Today He Shares the Story
Father shares heartbreaking account of watching his son's final moments during Hamas attack on Facebook Live, revealing new details about the October 7 massacre at Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
Twitter
For the first time since the October 7 massacre, Maayan Eliaz has spoken publicly about the death of his son, Tomer Eliaz-Arava, who was murdered in Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
Tomer’s story became known worldwide after Hamas terrorists live-streamed footage on Facebook during the attack, forcing him to call out to fellow kibbutz members sheltering in their homes in an attempt to lure them outside.
“At first, I thought they were soldiers,” Maayan recalled in the interview with Kan Reshet Bet. “But once I realized the truth, everything collapsed.”
Speaking from his home in Kibbutz Mefalsim, Eliaz described the unbearable sense of helplessness that haunts him to this day.
“I wanted to drop everything and run to Nahal Oz. I know the area well. I told myself I could get there. But I didn’t. I stayed. And that decision drags me down every single day, even knowing what the outcome would have been for me.”
A Family Torn Apart
Tomer lived with his mother, Dikla Arava, and her partner Noam Elyakim, both killed that morning, along with Elyakim’s daughters, Ella and Daphna, who were kidnapped to Gaza and returned in the May 2024 hostage deal.
Beyond the Hamas broadcast, Eliaz said he knew almost nothing about how his son and ex-wife were killed.
“When Ella and Daphna came back, they filled in some of the gaps about what happened to Dikla. Later, the IDF investigation revealed that Tomer was likely killed by mistaken Israeli fire inside the kibbutz.”
“He Tried to Help Everyone”
According to testimonies, Tomer did everything he could to protect neighbors despite the impossible situation. “He helped Dikla’s sister, the Feiberg family next door… He probably managed to escape the terrorists and reached the kibbutz gate. Maybe the gunmen let him go. We don’t know, the army report has no answers.”
Haunted by the Past
Eliaz said every visit to the kibbutz is marked by painful memories.
“I drive the roundabout in the opposite direction, just so my car tires won’t touch the place where Tomer may have fallen.”
He ended with a message for the families still waiting:
“You can’t get up in the morning without this, the return of the hostages is the only way forward.”