The family of Amer Abu Sabila, a 25-year-old from Abu Talul in the Bedouin diaspora, received official notification on Monday that his body was identified. Amer, who was married and a father of two children aged four and two, was murdered in a Hamas terrorist attack near the police station in Sderot. He was shot while attempting to save Odia Swissa and her daughters, aged six and three. After Dolev, the father, had already been murdered as they were attempting to flee.
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The Swissa family found themselves in a harrowing situation when they encountered terrorists near the commercial complex in Sderot. In an attempt to protect their lives, the parents made the difficult decision to split up, with each of them taking one of their daughters. Despite their efforts to hide, their attempts were in vain. Tragically, Dolev, the father, was shot and mortally wounded by the terrorists. He sought help from the Magen David Adom team but succumbed to his injuries. Fortunately, the daughter who was with her father remained unharmed and sought refuge with her mother and sister.
According to a reliable source, the mother placed her children in the car. A passing policeman, driving in a civilian vehicle, told her to follow him to the police station, believing it to be a safe haven. Little did they know at that time that the station would become the site of a tragic massacre.
As the policeman approached, Abu Sabila noticed the mother's distress, as she was struggling to drive while in shock. He entered the car and followed the policemen but, near the police station, terrorists opened fire killing the mother, Amer and the policemen. miraculously, the girls remained unharmed in the back seat of the vehicle.
Ali Abu Sabila, Amer's cousin, shared the challenging days the family endured during the agonizing two-week wait for a positive identification of his remains. "I am going to someone who is frightened and crying. I want to guide her towards the police," Amer told his father, the last time they spoke. Despite having the option to flee and escape the perilous situation, Amer made a selfless choice to help a total stranger because he recognized that she was in distress.
Tragically, Mussa Abu Sabila, another member of the family, was also a victim of the terrorist attack in the Re'im area. Ali shared Mussa's desperate plea for help, as he managed to call the family and inform them of his injuries. However, after an hour, communication was abruptly cut off. Ali expressed the indescribable anguish they were going through. "I have no words to describe what we are going through. We, Arabs and Jews, live together. One helps the other, and we live in cooperation."