Fallen IDF hero's father reveals : "My son Aner Shapira saved lives twice in the death shelter on October 7th" [GRAPHIC VIDEO]

In an emotional interview Tuesday, the father of Aner Shapira, who sacrificed his life protecting dozens in a shelter during the October 7 Hamas attacks, revealed new details about his son's final acts of heroism through the testimony of a recently released hostage.

Speaking on Kan Reshet B's "At Noon" program, Moshe Shapira recounted his powerful meeting with Or Levy, one of the survivors who was later taken hostage from what has become known as the "Death Shelter" near Kibbutz Re'im.

"When the military officer called to tell us Or wanted to meet, we didn't know what to expect," Shapira said. "It turned out to be one of the most moving encounters of my life."

According to Levy's testimony, Aner Shapira, a 27-year-old Nahal Reconnaissance Unit fighter, positioned himself at the shelter's entrance after warning those inside about armed terrorists approaching in white pickup trucks. "I'm taking responsibility for the grenades," Aner had declared. "If they throw them in, I'll throw them out."

For 34 harrowing minutes, Aner fought without a weapon against approximately 20 terrorists, successfully blocking seven grenades with his own body. During this time, he repeatedly instructed others in the shelter to keep their eyes open, telling them that if anything happened to him, they needed to continue his defensive efforts.

The meeting with Or Levy revealed previously unknown details about Aner's final moments. After the eighth grenade - the one that would prove fatal - Levy opened his eyes to find another live grenade lying on a person next to him. Despite being a non-combat soldier, Levy managed to throw the grenade out, crediting Aner's earlier instructions for his quick thinking.

"Or told us he survived twice that day because of Aner," Moshe Shapira explained. "Once through my son's direct actions, and again because he followed Aner's instructions to stay alert even after he fell."

The recording of Ayelet Arnin, who was murdered in the death shelter in Re'im, describes minute by minute what happened inside. On October 7, Arnin was at the Nova party and fled with her friends to the shelter near Kibbutz Re'im. When Hamas terrorists surrounded the shelter, Ayelet, who was a deputy editor at Kan News, started a voice recording on her mobile phone that lasted more than three hours. Arnin said her last words aloud, knowing the phone was recording, saying goodbye to her close friend Segev Kizner, moments before the terrorists returned and shot them.

Her recording captured the desperate phone calls for help, the sounds of the grenade attacks, and the eventual kidnapping of several survivors including Levy, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Elia Cohen, and Alon Ohel.

During their captivity in Hamas tunnels, Levy discovered Aner's identity through conversations with fellow hostages Ohel and Cohen. The three made a pact to share their experiences with the Shapira family upon release.

"Aner was the oldest of seven children," Moshe Shapira said, his voice breaking. "The pain of losing him never diminishes, but there are points of light - his artistic legacy, his music, and now knowing how many lives he saved through his courage."

According to survivor testimonies, at least ten people survived the shelter attack due to Aner's actions. He had arrived at the shelter from the Nova music festival with his childhood friend Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was murdered in Hamas captivity.

The shelter siege ended in tragedy when terrorists returned to kill many of those inside, including Arnin, who recorded herself saying goodbye to her friend Segev Kizner in her final moments.

This article is based on an interview on Kan Reshet B on February 19, 2025.