They were not among the hostages taken to Gaza, but they have them found dead, grandmother and granddaughter, hug each otherin the shelter of their home in the Kibbutz of Nir Oz, on the border with Gaza, overwhelmed by the attack by Hamas terrorists on 7 October. They were called – the media reported – Carmella Dann (80 years old) e Noya Dann (12 years old, in need of special attention): their identification was communicated to relatives.
Carmella Dann has other kidnapped family members: her nephews Sahar (16 years old) and Erez (12 years old) forcibly taken to the Strip by Hamas together with their father Ofer Calderon. When she was still among the people taken hostage by Hamas, for twelve-year-old Noya British writer JK Rowling was also mobilised. The Israeli girl was in fact a big fan of Harry Potter, as also demonstrated by a photograph published by the Israeli authorities which portrays her dressed as the famous wizard, holding a book from the saga and a magic wand. «The kidnapping of children is a despicable and completely unjustifiable act.
For obvious reasons, this photo struck me”, Rowling wrote three days ago on X, asking for the twelve-year-old’s release and her safe return to her family. Today, however, the announcement arrived that the little girl was found dead in the Nir Oz kibbutz. «We are devastated to announce that the bodies of Noya and her grandmother Carmela were discovered yesterday. Thank you to all of you who shared her story to help us bring her home. Our hearts are broken,” we read on the official profile of the State of Israel on X.