Israel-Hamas: couple die saving their baby twins after militants storm their home

An Israeli couple managed to save the lives of their babies by hiding them in a shelter when Hamas stormed their home - only to be killed themselves by members of the militant group.

Itay and Hadar Berdichevsky, both 30, only had seconds to react when they heard gunmen trying to smash down their front door, Gali Dagan, Israel’s ambassador to Columbia, revealed on X - formerly known as Twitter.

The parents hid their ten-month-old twins in a shelter - a final act of selflessness. They then “bravely fought” Hamas, Dagan said, but were shot and killed, leaving their children as orphans.

Astonishingly, the babies were found 12 hours later by Israeli Defence Force troops, who rescued them and gave them to their grandmother for care.

Dagan praised Itay and Hadar as “heroes” who did “everything they could to save their children” as he shared their story on social media, with the post quickly going viral.

More than 1,000 Israelis have died since Hamas launched a multi-front attack on Israel last Saturday (7 October), a military official said. It comes after Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets into towns and cities, while gunmen broke through heavily fortified borders and stormed homes, attacked civilians, and took people - including children - hostage.

There have also been reports of women being raped by members of Hamas, particularly at Supanova music festival, where more than 250 bodies were found by rescuers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel was “at war” in response to the attack by Hamas, and launched retaliatory air strikes at Gaza. 830 Palestinians in Gaza have died as a result, according to the health ministry, while the United Nations has said that 187,000 are now displaced.

In recent hours, Hamas has pledged to kill captured Israelis if Palestinian civilians are targeted without warning, while Israel has said it will impose a “total blockade” on Gaza, cutting off water and electricity, and not letting food and fuel in through its borders.

A UN-appointed commission of inquiry has said there is “already clear evidence” that war crimes may have been committed by all sides in the conflict over the past few days.

It said that reports that “armed groups from Gaza have gunned down hundreds of unarmed civilians are abhorrent and cannot be tolerated”, as it stressed that “taking civilian hostages” is a war crime.

It added it was also “gravely concerned” with Israel’s attacks on Gaza, particularly the witholding of water, food, and electricity, “which will undoubtedly cost civilian lives and constitutes collective punishment.”

The UN urged both sides “to adhere strictly to international humanitarian law”.