BERGEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY: Laor Abramov, a 20-year-old aspiring DJ, last made contact with his family while waiting in an Israeli bomb shelter, not more than an hour after Hamas militants attacked a party he attended. He has been missing since.
Abramov used to live with his mother, who is a US citizen, in New Jersey until 2022. He then went to Israel to serve in the military, only to later decide to pursue his dream of being a DJ like his father, David Abramov, who hails from the region.
His aunt, Yael Abramov, told the New York Post that Abbramov was not working at the doomed rave party but was simply there to enjoy himself when the revelers were suddenly overwhelmed by the members of the Palestinian militant group, who launched an unprovoked assault on them.
What did Laor Abramov last tell his family?
“He phoned his dad in the morning — my brother — in the morning around 7:30, saying, ‘People are shooting at us. I am going into a missile shelter, a bomb shelter, and don’t worry. I’m not going to be able to speak because it’s very noisy.' After that, we didn’t know anything that was going on," Yael told the New York Post.
“There was no contact, couldn’t reach his phone. There was just horror stories of what’s going on there," she continued.
Hours later, a relative came across a photograph of Abramov inside the shelter. He was standing out among the rest of the people as he was taller, with a height of 6 foot 4 inches (1.82 m).
“I saw that photo and I was just filled with hope that he’s somewhere safe,” said his aunt. “Then I just found out (it’s) basically a death trap, those shelters.”
What was the final update about Laor Abramov?
Abramov's family was able to contact a survivor from the shelter the following morning, who informed them of the horrors that befell them.
“The shelter where we were hiding was threatened with terrorists (sic). They had rounds and rounds of hand grenades that they threw inside and some of the young people there tried to throw them back out. Then they got in with their automatic guns and shot everyone. Whoever was still on their feet standing, they grabbed them and put them on their pickup truck and drove away,” the survivor told Abramov's father.
The survivor herself was wounded and is hospitalized at present. She also reportedly told Abramov's father, "Laor was there. Laor was being pulled away into the truck."
"That’s everything we know,” Yael Abramov told the outlet.
More than 1,000 Israelis, including women, children, and the elderly, were killed when Hamas launched the surprise attack and stormed out of the Gaza Strip around 6.30 am on October 7. At least 150 Israeli civilians and soldiers who survived the onslaught were taken hostage.
The Abramov family is now praying for the survival of Laor Abramov and his safe return to the US.
