Renowned scholar who recently earned PhD was among Americans killed by Hamas in Israel

One of the 11 Americans who were killed in the Hamas attack on Israel has been identified as a 32-year-old academic from Seattle who was hiding in a kibbutz closet when terrorists burst in. Hayim Katsman, who received his PhD from the University of Washington’s Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies in 2021, was living in Holit, a kibbutz near the Gaza Strip border, as he worked on research, the Seattle Times reported. His mother, Hanna Katsman, told ABC News that she initially thought he had been abducted but later found out he had been killed by the invading terrorists early Saturday. “I’ve been getting so many messages from people who worked with Hayim or who knew him, or who met him during their travels and how warm he was, how open,” she told the outlet. “He was a very accepting person and a very loyal friend. He had a good sense of humor. He took things in stride.” Avital Alajem, a friend and neighbor who was with Katsman when he died, told CNN that she was hiding with him in the closet when the terrorists broke in and shot him. Alajem, who was unhurt in the attack, credited Katsman with saving her life before she was kidnapped and taken to Gaza along with two children. Read more at https://pagesix.com/2023/10/10/tamra-judge-hospitalized-for-intestinal-obstruction/ #israel #hamas #hayimkatsman The New York Post is your source for breaking news, news about New York, sports, business, entertainment, opinion, real estate, culture, fashion, and more. Subscribe to New York Post Sports: https://www.youtube.com/c/nypostsports Catch the latest news here: https://nypost.com/ Follow The New York Post on: Twitter - https://twitter.com/nypost Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NYPost