Israeli Woman Learns Missing Husband is Dead on Live Television

An Israeli singer managed to escape the gunfire with her 1-month-old daughter on Saturday but was separated from her husband. While doing a live interview on TV, she learned that he had died in the Hamas attack.

Shay-Li Atari had been with her husband Yahav in their home when the Hamas first began their attacks on Israel on Saturday. 

“We heard the terrorists outside our house, so my husband and I switched to silent mode and spoke in mime. We agreed with our gestures that if the terrorists come in, he will hold the door and I will run away with our 1-month-old baby,” Atari told Israeli news outlet Ynet.

Moments later, Hamas soldiers tried to break into their home through the window. Atari said her husband tried to hold the window shut while she escaped through the door. She fled outside and attempted to go to her neighbors, but when they did not answer the door, she hid in a nearby warehouse where she stayed with their baby for 27 hours.

"Every time (the baby) cried during those 27 hours, they shot at us more. She was like prey," Atari told News 12.

Eventually, Atari was rescued by members of the Israeli military and made it back to other family members. But Yahav was still missing, so Atari agreed to do a live interview with Sky News to hopefully find her husband.

“I feel like every minute counts right now,” Atari told Sky News. “He’s either injured somewhere or either kidnapped, so every minute is important.”

While Atari and the outlet filmed their interview, the family received a phone call. Video captured during the interview shows a woman sitting on the hallway floor with her head in her hands. Atari calls out “Ma,” but the woman remains silent.

Other family members take the infant from Atari who hurriedly walks over to the woman, assumed to be her mother, to hear the news. Atari, and several other family members, begin sobbing and wailing now that they know Yahav is dead.

The interview was reshared to X (formerly Twitter), where it has been viewed more than 9,000 times. Dozens of users left comments offering their condolences. One user commented, “Devastated for the family.” Another wrote, “Her husband left the safety room for protecting his wife and baby. He was a hero. My heart is with his family.”

The weekend attacks have left 1,000 dead in Israel, and 830 Palestinians dead from retaliatory Israeli attacks.