In a tragic twist of fate, a Minnesota woman and her husband who had vocally advocated for Palestinian rights and protested against Israeli military actions were killed in a Hamas attack.
Cindy Flash, a 67-year-old originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, had emigrated to Israel decades ago. She married Igal Flash, a 66-year-old Israeli and the son of Holocaust survivors, and they settled in Kfar Aza, a community located just a few miles from the Gaza border.
The couple’s home in Kfar Aza sat right next to the security fence that Hamas militants broke through as they attacked Israel by land, sea, and air.
What makes Cindy’s story particularly poignant is the irony that she, an advocate for Palestinian rights, became a victim of the very group she sought to help.
Cindy was known for her advocacy for Palestinian rights. She would often protest against Israeli military operations in Gaza, standing up for the dignity and humanity of Palestinians, according to CNN.
“Whenever there was a military operation, (she) would always protest,” according to their daughter Keren Flash, 34.
“She was there protesting all the time so they won’t destroy it – so that people will see what’s happening because you don’t treat human beings like that no matter what their religious belief is and what their ethnicity is.”
However, on a fateful Saturday, the couple was killed inside a safe room at their home during a large-scale attack by Hamas. Keren Flash received a text message from her mother that read, “they managed to break into the safe room.” That was the last time she heard from them.
After days of agonizing silence and uncertainty about their fate, Keren Flash told CNN that the only sliver of solace she could grasp from the devastating news was that they “died instantly so at least it was quick and relatively painless.”
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