Kutz Family

Entire Family Murdered embraced

Kutz family

Parents Aviv and Livnat and children Yiftah (14), Jonathan (16), and Rotem (19) were murdered as they hugged together in bed in the safe room. Grandparents Benny and Tamar, Aviv's parents who live in the kibbutz, survived the attack thanks to an ambush set by Givati fighters near their h

The Kutz Family

Entire Family Murdered embraced

Kutz family

Minute by Minute Circle
06:29
~06:45
~07:10
16:45

The sequence of events

Minute by Minute

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06:29

Red color alarm in the kibbutz

~06:45

Terrorists murder the entire family

~07:10

Fierce fighting outside Benny and Tamar's safe room window

16:45

Soldiers set up ambush near house

Soldiers scan the house

The evacuation

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Upon hearing the sirens, Aviv, Livnat and their three children enter the safe room. Benny and Tamar, the parents of Aviv who live in the kibbutz, try to contact them, but do not succeed.

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    Benny and Tamar describe the first moments of the Hamas attack on the kibbutz From the “Evening News,” Kan 11
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    Terrorists infiltrate the home of Aviv and Livnat and shoot the five family members while they are in bed. Their bodies were found with the father Aviv lying on top of them and hugging them between his arms.

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    The Kutz family home before the terrorists' infiltration
    The Kutz family home before the terrorists' infiltration
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    The Kutz family home before the terrorists' infiltration
    The Kutz family home before the terrorists' infiltration
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    The Kutz family home before the terrorists' infiltration
    The Kutz family home before the terrorists' infiltration
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      The sister of Aviv tells of how the family was murdered while embracing From the “Evening News,” Kan 11
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      The kibbutz's WhatsApp group receives reports of terrorists infiltrating homes and residents calling for help. Benny and Tamar hear the sounds of heavy gunfire near their home.

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        Benny and Tamar recount the cries for help and the complete chaos in the kibbutz From the “Evening News,” Kan 11
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        Tamar hears voices in Hebrew through the safe room window and sees the Givati Brigade force outside. She opens the window and offers them food and drink. They settle in for a few hours in an ambush around their home.

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          Tamar recounts the encounter with the soldiers by the window of the safe room From the “Evening News,” Kan 11
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          During the night, another group of soldiers enters the house for a scan in search of terrorists. Then, they leave and proceed to purge the remaining houses of the kibbutz.

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            Tamar tells of the difficult night hours From the “Evening News,” Kan 11
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            After a day in the safe room, Benny hears voices in Hebrew outside his house. He goes out and sees an IDF force calling on residents to get out of the houses. Within minutes, he and his wife Tamar are evacuated from the kibbutz. They still do not know what happened to their son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren.

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              Benny tells of the moments of rescue From the “Evening News,” Kan 11

              The Day After

              8.10.2023

              Identification of the family

              9.11.2023

              The Kite Festival in Tel Aviv
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              Benny asks the kibbutz member Nira Shepak, who has helped many families in the kibbutz identify their loved ones, to come to Aviv's house to find out what happened to him. She's the one who finds the family members shot and embracing in their bed.

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              The Kutz family home, the day after The Kutz family home, the day after
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              The Kutz family home, the day after The Kutz family home, the day after
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                Benny Kutz, tells of identifying the family members who were shot with the safe room From the “Evening News,” Kan 11
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                The Kite Festival for Peace, initiated and organized by Aviv and Livnat Kutz, had been held in the kibbutz every Sukkot holiday for the past 15 years and was expected to occur that Saturday. In November 2023, the event took place in Tel Aviv, calling for the return of the hostages and the memory of the murdered in the kibbutz.

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                  Sharon Kutz, sister of Aviv Kutz, at the Kite Festival in Tel Aviv in memory of the family Photo: From “The Evening News”
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