Family, friends and Liverpool fans bid farewell Israeli man who was killed by Hamas on Oct. 7

By Wolfgang Schwan

METZER, Israel (AA) – Family, friends, and fellow Liverpool fans came together to say their final goodbyes to Roee Munder, a devoted Reds supporter who was killed on Oct. 7, when Gaza-based Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel.

Tens of fans of the British football club Liverpool attended the 50-year-old Munder’s funeral in Metzer, northern Israel.

He was killed on Oct. 7 during the attack on Nir Oz Kibbutz.

Four members of his family, Abraham Munder, 79, Ruthi Munder, 79, Keren Munder, 54, and Ohad Munder, were taken hostage by Hamas in attacks on Oct. 7 and are believed to still be alive in the city of Gaza.

Speaking at the funeral, his aunt, Merav Raviv, said: “We heard from the military that they saw no blood in the shelter and home of relatives, so hopefully they believe they are still alive.”

The conflict in Gaza, under Israeli bombardment since Oct. 7, began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli army continues to target Gaza with intensive airstrikes that have destroyed entire neighborhoods, killing 4,651 Palestinians, including 1,873 children and 1,023 women, and injuring 14,245, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

An unknown number of people are also trapped under the rubble.