The family of a British teenager who disappeared during Hamas’s attack in southern Israel have sadly shared with BBC News that she was killed.
A girl named Yahel, who was 13 years old, disappeared when there was an attack by a group called Hamas at a place called Kibbutz Be’eri in Israel. During the attack, her mother, Lianne, who was originally from Britain, was killed. Yahel’s family has now told BBC News that Yahel also lost her life. Her sister Noiya, who is 16, and her father Eli from Israel, are still missing.
Yahel’s family said she was a lively and playful girl, always up for an adventure. They shared with BBC News that Yahel was full of energy and joy, and sometimes a little bit mischievous. They will always miss her, but they’re thankful for the happiness she brought into their lives, even though she was with them for too short a time.
Family members in the UK mentioned that they used to visit once a year, and they remembered how happy the girls were when they received presents.
Lianne’s family in Britain mentioned that she was cherished as a daughter, sister, mother, aunt, and friend. She made the lives of those who knew and loved her better. Lianne, who was 48, went to Israel for the first time when she was 19, volunteering on a kibbutz. Later, she decided to stay there permanently.
Her family added that she had a wonderful life and will be greatly missed by her grieving family and friends.
The family hasn’t shared their last name.
Eli’s brother-in-law, Raz Matalon, said he was close to Yahel and called her the “funny one” among the girls in their family. He’s still hopeful that the missing family members will be found safe. He’s struggling with arranging the funerals for Lianne and Yahel because he’s never had to do that before.
He also called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to visit Israel, like leaders from the US, France, and Germany have done. He believes it’s the right thing to do.
WhatsApp messages shared with the BBC show how chaotic things were in the Be’eri community when Hamas militants started attacking southern Israel with rockets on October 7th, around 06:30 local time.
Lianne sent messages to her family saying she could hear gunfire and people shouting in Arabic nearby. She was used to security alerts living so close to the Gaza barrier, but she said this was much worse.
Eli’s brother Yossi, his wife Nira, and their three daughters were also caught up in the attack.
Other family members who were trying to reach their relatives in the kibbutz didn’t send messages because they were worried the sound of their phones could give away their location if they were hiding from the attackers.
It took seven hours before they got word about the extent of the attack in Be’eri.
Yossi and one of his children have officially been declared as hostages.
SOURCE:BBC