KIBBUTZ HOLIT, ISRAEL: Dr Hayim Katsman, an Israeli-born American who had gotten his PhD from the University of Washington, was slain in his house in Israel alongside a female neighbor, as Hamas terrorists launched a bloody attack on Saturday, October 7.

The well-recognized American student was fatally shot by Hamas terrorists who broke into his house in Kibbutz Holit and discovered him hiding in a closet, said his horrified mother.

Katsman's mother, Hannah Katsman stated that in 2021 her son earned his PhD from the University of Washington's Henry M Jackson School of International Studies.

She told ABC News that Katsman was an American citizen conducting research while residing on an Israeli kibbutz.

Paying tribute to Dr Katsman, the Jackson School of International Studies professor James Wellman noted, "He was a young guy and had his whole world waiting for him and I just can't believe it even now."

"The fact that this wonderful human being was killed who had no malice towards either side, he was a beautiful human being."

Hayim Katsman's research studied how politics and religion interact in Middle East

According to his bio on the UW website, research by Katsman focused on Israel/Palestine and the interactions between politics and religion in the Middle East.

Katsman's research challenged the common perception of religious Zionism as a "sui generis" ideology by creating a novel sociological framework to explore recent social, ideological, and theological movements within the religious-Zionist sector in Israel.

According to the UW website, Katsman got the Baruch Kimmerling award for the best graduation paper in 2020 from the Association for Israel Studies.

"His work, it is incredibly relevant work. He was looking at something that has become only more influential," said UW professor Liora Halperin.

"He was just a really good guy. Someone everyone wanted to know, wants to know as a friend, wants to have as a student."

Hannah Katsman initially thought her son had been taken hostage

According to ABC News, Hannah initially believed her son had been abducted but eventually discovered he had been killed when Hamas terrorists raided his home and discovered him sheltering with his neighbors in his closet.

She claimed to have learned that while one of the neighbors had been released, her son and another female neighbor had been fatally killed.

Katsman told ABC News, "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."

"He was a very accepting person and a very loyal friend. He had a good sense of humor. He took things in stride."

It comes after President Joe Biden, who confirmed that "at least" 11 Americans were killed in the massacre, issued a formal statement on Monday, October 9, denouncing the "inexcusable hatred and violence" in the terror attack on Israel.

Since Saturday, more than 700 people have died in Israel, including 260 victims of a mass murder committed by Hamas militants at a music event, per Daily Mail.

Friends and colleagues paid tribute to Hayim Katsman

The Association for Israel Studies hailed the slain academic as "an emerging scholar in the field of Israel studies" who was "deeply committed to community service."

Danny Hoffman, head of the Jackson School of International Studies, remarked, "This is devastating news for all of us in the Jackson School."

"Dr Katsman was a talented and committed young scholar and, for many of our faculty, staff and students, a close friend."

The Jackson School's Comparative Religion department head, Jim Wellman, who acted as Katsman's thesis advisor, said of him, "He was an amazing teacher. I was able to see him in the classroom as he interacted with my students."

"His understanding of religion and the study of it was profound. He knew how to communicate difficult issues and complex terms," Wellman added.

Katsman was "a brilliant bright light in the field of Israel Studies, a citizen of a conflict-ridden region who pursued solidarity and peace, a lover of music, and a great friend," said Mika Ahuvia, director of the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies.

"We are heartbroken that such a beautiful, kind soul was so violently snuffed out of this world."