On Sunday morning, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said many Americans were killed or captured in the Israeli terror assaults. Debbie was one of the casualties.
Ilan Troen, a professor at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, retired at 83 and moved his family to Israel.
As Hamas terrorists went door-to-door in neighborhoods looking for people to slaughter, the daughter and son-in-law of the professor were among those killed in Israel when the murderers broke into their home.
Debbie Shahar Troen Mathias (born in Missouri) and Shlomi Mathias were shot and killed by the terrorists on Saturday.
The parents threw themselves over their adolescent child to shield him.
Professor Troen said from a hospital room in Israel that his American daughter and son-in-law had been killed, and their sacrifice had ultimately saved his grandson’s life. The family was all gathered in one safe space. The professor was on the phone with his daughter when she said she heard the sound of breaking glass and Arabs speaking.
His grandson, Rotem, picked up the phone and said he was shot in the stomach. The professor said to be quiet and only text. The terrorists had returned to the home several times. They tried to burn the house down in case anyone had survived or was hiding. The bullet that entered Rotem had already killed his mother.
The family huddled in a safe room when Hamas infiltrators broke in.
Troen’s small grandson, a boy, was shot in the stomach and sent to the hospital.
After a massive attack on Israel, extremists may have killed over 600 people and injured many more. In response to the savage attacks, the Jewish people have begun a vigorous counteroffensive.
Brandeis University confirmed the tragic news about the professor.
After hearing that Professor Troen had lost his daughter and son-in-law in the awful events in Israel, officials expressed their deepest condolences.
After completing his undergraduate degree at a private institution, Troen earned his master’s and doctorate at the University of Chicago.
In a social media post, journalist Bari Weiss said that many of her close friends hold Ilan Troen in high esteem as a teacher and mentor.
