A New Jersey native was among the more than 1,200 people massacred in Hamas’ attack over the weekend on Israel, according to Gov. Phil Murphy.
Itay Glisko, 20, “tragically lost his life during the [Saturday] attacks,” the Democrat posted on X Wednesday, confirming a Daily Beast report.
Glisko, who the governor noted “spent his early years in Paramus,” was a dual citizen who was serving a mandatory three-year stint in the Israel Defense Forces, according to the outlet.
His family reportedly received official word on Tuesday. The circumstances of Glisko’s death were unclear.
“He was truly an amazing kid,” said relative Zehava Glisko Kaufman, who was holding vigil at the Jewish Community Center in Tenafly when she learned the news.
“A soldier that was with him said he fought with courage to the end,” she added.
Cousin Eyal Glisko, a North Jersey resident, told the outlet that Glisko was “such a beautiful boy” who was “doing his duty.”
Glisko was remembered by family as “a very nice mensch” who was “loved by everybody.” Courtesy Glisko Family“With all due respect to my family, this is not just him. There are hundreds of families in this position, that don’t know what happened to their loved ones.”
“I don’t know how many of them are soldiers,” he added. “But it’s devastating. It’s devastating.”
Glisko was a middle child whom Glisko Kaufman lovingly referred to as “the sandwich boy.”
He was “a very nice mensch” who was “loved by everybody,” she said.
Before receiving confirmation of his death, Glisko’s family was “beside themselves” with worry, watching TV around the clock and waiting for any updates on his whereabouts, family members said.
Itay was long supportive of the Palestinian people’s right to autonomy and sovereign independence, according to Eyal, who noted that he was killed on land that had been a part of Israel for 75 years.
Glisko was among the more than 1,200 people massacred in Hamas’ attack over the weekend on Israel, according to Gov. Phil Murphy. AFP via Getty Images“This is not about finding solutions,” Eyal said. “They just went in and butchered everybody. This was like ISIS,” he said, echoing a comparison made by President Biden.
At least 22 Americans were among the slaughtered and 17 remain unaccounted for, the White House said Wednesday.
A “very small” number of US citizens were being held hostage in Gaza, according to National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby.
