Adar Eylon’s sister, Shira, disappeared after the Nova music competition in southern Israel was attacked by Hamas militants on Oct. 7. Her household believed she was taken hostage. However on Oct. 11, the Israeli military knowledgeable them that she had been killed. In an interview with TIME’s Mathias Hammer, Eylon, 29, describes the ordeal:
Shira, my little sister, went to the Supernova music competition. On Saturday round 7 a.m., she known as my dad telling him there was bombing; they’re sending rockets over us. Thirty minutes after she texted him, she heard some gunshots, and since then she didn’t decide up the telephone. We known as and we known as till the telephone was off.
I managed to seek out some pals of hers to inform me what occurred. They informed me they tried to name the police, ship their location, however no one got here to rescue them as a result of the terrorists have been surrounding your complete space and capturing automobiles. So a few of them hid within the forest for like two days. They mentioned it was just like the Holocaust, like operating away from the Nazis.
Learn Extra: The Households of Israelis Held Hostage by Hamas Converse Out.
One among our pals hid underneath an deserted tank, which had a soldier inside who was already lifeless. One other good friend, some terrorists shot her leg they usually thought she was lifeless. She pretended to be lifeless for 5 hours till somebody got here and picked her up. And one other good friend informed me that once they began capturing, and all people was operating away, he noticed my sister and her finest good friend and behind them a terrorist with a shotgun. He ran sooner than them, so misplaced them, however he may hear them screaming. However he could not inform me what occurred.
We situated her telephone in Gaza so we figured she could also be kidnapped. We additionally tried to name day by day to the hospital and to the police. She was not within the hospital or in any of the lists of the individuals who have survived. So we have been fairly positive she had been kidnapped. It was fully chaotic; the nation did not give us any data. They simply informed me, you may go search for her within the hospital to see if you happen to can acknowledge somebody.
Learn Extra: A Photographer Captures Loss of life, Destruction, and Grief in Gaza.
The military knocked on our door two days in the past, telling us that they discovered Shira’s physique. They acknowledged her by a DNA take a look at. Her physique had been mendacity within the forest for 5 days. They didn’t convey them to the hospital as a result of they have been all full. They put them in a shelter close to the social gathering, they usually mentioned there have been too many our bodies so it took them nearly every week to acknowledge her. It took them one other day to convey her right here so we may bury her. So she was lifeless for six days earlier than we may bury her. Even once they got here to inform us that she died, they didn’t inform us how or when.
Shira was 23. She simply got here again from a visit in India. She studied yoga over there. And he or she was supposed to begin college two days in the past. She was imagined to do a psychology diploma. She was very mild, very peaceable, non-violent, very devoted. She was vegan and he or she would volunteer at an animal shelter. And he or she simply began life, you recognize? She was simply going to this social gathering to have fun life. The individuals who have been there have been younger adults. It was sort of like Woodstock, the place all people’s into artwork and peace and love. That they had nothing to do with this struggle. And I simply do not perceive what sort of monster can come and assault civilians. They didn’t come to assault troopers, or a military base. They went to a celebration.
—As informed to Mathias Hammer