Israel’s government has published a selfie of an innocent family who were reportedly killed by Hamas militants in their kibbutz near the border with Gaza.
Tamar and Yonatan Kedem, along with their children Shachar, Arbel and Omer, were all reportedly murdered by Hamas in Kibbutz Nir Oz, which lies just 1.4 miles from Israel’s border with Gaza.
The family’s deaths are just a handful of the more than 700 Israelis who have been killed since Hamas launched its large-scale attack over the weekend, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on Monday.
Another 1,200 people have been wounded, many critically.
The official X account of Israel shared the photo of the five smiling family members in a post late on Sunday evening.
Tamar and Yonatan Kedem, along with their children Shachar, Arbel and Omer, were all reportedly murdered by Hamas
Tamar’s last social media post was made on the night before Hamas invaded Israel.
Several major figures decried the family’s murder, including Israel’s former prime minister Naftali Bennett
The post read: ‘Tamar, Yonatan and their children Shachar, Arbel, Omer. An entire family wiped out by Hamas terrorists.
‘There are no words. May their memory be a blessing.’
Several major figures decried the family’s murder, including Israel’s former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who wrote on X: ‘An entire family murdered in cold blood.
‘Look at their happy faces. Their love. All of them murdered by Palestinian terrorists at Nir-Oz kibbutz. Just because they’re Jews.’
Tamar’s social media profile lists that she is an advisor to the Ministry of the Interior in the Department of Regional Cooperation and Clusters.
Former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett wrote: ‘Look at their happy faces. Their love. All of them murdered by Palestinian terrorists at Nir-Oz kibbutz. Just because they’re Jews.’
Tamar’s Facebook hosted several photos of her family in happier times
Her profile also says she works at the Foundation for Encouraging Initiatives in Education, and that she was a former programme leader for the Cadets for Municipal Service, an initiative that aimed to train local leaders in Israel’s rural communities.
Tamar, who grew up in Jerusalem, got a Master’s Degree in Management and Public Policy at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheva, Israel.
Her Facebook holds dozens of photos of her and her family in happier times.
She and her husband, an operations manager and wheat grower, appear to have been together for a long time.
Tamar’s social media profile holds several photos of the couple when they were young, through to the present day.
Her last social media post was made on the night before Hamas invaded Israel.
The couple shared dozens of photos of their family in their kibbutz
She shared photos of her kibbutz, an type of isolated community unique to Israel, celebrating Sukkot, a Jewish holiday that celebrates Israelites who were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Israeli army said Monday it hit more than 500 targets in the Gaza Strip in overnight retaliatory strikes on the impoverished and blockaded Gaza Strip, an enclave of 2.3 million people, with officials there reporting at least 413 Palestinian deaths.
‘Overnight IDF fighter jets, helicopters, aircraft and artillery struck over 500 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip,’ the military said in a statement.
Thick plumes of smoke billowed from the Palestinian enclave as the strikes continued in the early hours of the morning.
The death toll from this new war is already well above 1,100.
On the ground, thousands of Israeli soldiers are preparing to launch a massive ground assault to destroy Hamas fighters and infrastructure in Gaza that will see fighting erupt in the streets.
But in the meantime, Israel may choose to carry out small special-forces operations whereby they target high-profile Hamas terrorists.
Israel’s defence minister has ordered a ‘complete siege’ on Gaza, three days after Hamas militants began attacking Israeli citizens up and down the country.
A paramedic holds a little girl with her face full of blood and dirt from the effects of the bombing of Israeli planes in Gaza on Monday
A paramedic holds a little girl crying after being pulled from the scene of the bombing Gaza on Monday
A missile explodes in Gaza City during an Israeli air strike on Sunday night
A plume of smoke rises in the sky of Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on Monday
Israeli airstrikes destroyed buildings and cars at the al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza Strip on Monday
Minister Yoav Gallant added that authorities will cut electricity to the bordered area and will block the entry of food and fuel to the region.
The announcement comes as Israel’s military scoured the country’s south for Hamas fighters and guarded breaches in its border fence with tanks, while it relentlessly pounded the Gaza Strip in the early hours of this morning, with air strikes and artillery hitting more than 1,000 targets belonging to Hamas overnight.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed and buildings were reduced to rubble after Israel began its deadly revenge attack in response to Hamas launching a surprise assault that has so far killed more than 700 Israelis and injured 1,200.
The Israeli airstrikes have so far flattened much of the town of Beit Hanoun in the Palestinian enclave’s north-east corner, which Hamas terrorists had been using as a staging ground for their attacks.
On the ground, thousands of Israeli soldiers are preparing to launch a massive ground assault within the ‘next 48 hours’ to destroy Hamas fighters and infrastructure in Gaza that will see fighting erupt in the streets, US officials say.
MailOnline has contacted Israel’s interior ministry for comment.
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