Amit Shani turned 16 while in Hamas captivity
Israeli teen texted family members as Hamas broke in: 'Shooting and knocking at the door'
Amit Shani's cousin, Elle Benami, detailed the 'agonizing' wait for his release during 'The Faulkner Focus' as the world awaits the potential release of additional hostages.
The family of a 16-year-old Israeli teen who was kidnapped by Hamas when it raided his kibbutz on October 7 shared with FOX News harrowing text messages from his last moments before being taken hostage.
Amit Shani, who was 15 at the time the terrorists kidnapped him, frantically texted a group of friends as the Palestinian militants invaded his home.
Shani's cousin, Elle Benami, appeared on "The Faulkner Focus" and shared Shani's messages, which were translated from Hebrew to English.
"At my moms (sic) urgent they're shooting and knocking at the door. They are about to break in at any moment. They are shooting," read a series of messages shortly after 10 am local time on the day of the attack.
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(FOX News/Faulkner Focus)
Benami told FOX News that Shani's father was wounded in the invasion, and that the teen was the only one taken hostage because there was no room left in the terrorists' vehicle.
"Currently we're waiting. We've been waiting now for the fifth day to see his name on the list of hostages to be released," Benami said.
"He's still not on the list, so there's still tomorrow. And we're hoping that he'll be on the list tomorrow. But it's been very agonizing to wait day after day, over 50 days of being in captivity and knowing nothing as to his condition or well-being."
At 12:16 pm the day of his kidnapping, Shani messaged the friends' group chat again: "We need urgently House 112" and "They broke in" "There are terrorists in my house."
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(FOX News/Faulkner Focus)
At the time of his kidnapping, Shani was at home with his mother and two sisters, who were further able to make their escape because the terrorists were distracted by sudden gunfire.
"The terrorists went to handle that and the mom and two sisters took that opportunity to basically escape," Benami said, adding Hamas then burned down the home.
She also said some of the other kids in the group chat were later found murdered by Hamas.
When asked how supported Benami and her family feel by the Israeli government, she replied there has not been much support because there has not been much information to be passed on to families, given the situation on the ground.
"We're just sort of helplessly waiting every day in these six days to see whether his name is on the list. And there's not much we can do. It's just waiting," she said.
Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.
Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.
Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to
