Babak Belurs: British teen missing in Hamas attack confirmed dead, family say

Selasa, 17 Oktober 2023

British teen missing in Hamas attack confirmed dead, family say - BBC

By Lucy Manning, special correspondent, and Sean Seddon

BBC News

A British teenager who went missing after Hamas's attack on southern Israel was murdered, her family have told BBC News.

Yahel, 13, disappeared after militants attacked Kibbutz Be'eri and killed her British-born mother Lianne.

Family members have now confirmed to BBC News that Yahel was also killed. Her sister Noiya, 16, and Israeli father Eli are still missing.

Rishi Sunak said on Monday that "at least" six British citizens have died.

The prime minister told Parliament that another 10 people are missing, and the government fears some of those unaccounted for were also killed in the attack.

On Monday, Lianne's British family said she was "a beloved daughter, sister, mother, aunt and friend who enriched the lives of all those lucky enough to have known and loved her".

"She lived a beautiful life and will be sorely missed by the heartbroken family and friends she leaves behind," they said.

Speaking to the BBC while Yahel was still thought to be missing, the family described her as "funny, all the time" and said she loved to sing and dance.

The family has not released the girls' surname.

British sisters Noiya and Yahel holding hands

WhatsApp messages seen by the BBC reveal the chaos that engulfed the Be'eri community when Hamas militants began targeting southern Israel with rockets at around 06:30 local time on 7 October.

Lianne messaged family members to say she could hear gunfire and shouting in Arabic nearby. Living so close to the Gaza barrier, she was no stranger to security alerts. But "this is a whole other story", she told them.

Her husband's brother Yossi, his wife Nira, and their three daughters were also caught up in the attack.

Extended family members who were trying to contact their relatives in the kibbutz refrained from sending messages because they feared the sound of their phones could give them away if they were hiding from the gunmen.

Seven hours passed before they received word from Be'eri about the scale of the attack.

Yossi and one of his children have officially been declared as hostages.

More on Israel Gaza war

Follow live: Latest updates
Explained: What's going on in Gaza and Israel, and why now?
History behind the story: The Israel-Palestinian conflict
Hamas's attack on Israel: Who are the hostages?
Inside Gaza: The families who won't evacuate

International development minister Andrew Mitchell told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the government was "extremely concerned" about missing British nationals in Israel.

He would not be drawn on whether discussions were taking place about the return of hostages via direct channels with Gazan authorities, but said the UK was doing "everything" it can to secure their release.

At least 1,400 Israelis were killed in the Hamas attack when gunmen infiltrated communities near the Gaza Strip.

More than 2,700 Palestinians have been killed in numerous air strikes against Gaza by the Israeli military that were launched following the attack.

Around 500 British nationals have left Israel in recent days on flights chartered by the British government.