Reading the last message she sent him, this imposing man does not hold back his tears: “If I don’t come back, know that I love you. »
“The people here are warm, it brings a certain comfort, the families (victims, editor’s note) are very close”he continues, before evoking the memory of his daughter. She knew how to make everyone laugh and “always did what she wanted”.
As relatives of those killed light candles, the echo of artillery fire is heard from the Gaza Strip
On this site in the Negev desert, between the cacti and eucalyptus trees, we can see the smiling face of the young woman on a fresco bringing together the portraits of all those who were killed here on October 7, 2023.
The kadish, the prayer for the dead, is read by several fathers who have lost a son present at the trans music festival. Some parents spoke from the podium with heartbreaking tributes.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, accompanied by his wife, speaks with the victims’ relatives at the end of the ceremony organized by the families.
Before leaving the premises, Mr. Herzog calls on the world to “support Israel in its fight against its enemies”.
Just before the minute of silence, the hypnotic sounds of the last music heard by festival-goers, before they hear the sound of alarm sirens warning of an air attack, resonate in front of a crowd of grieving families.
The music is abruptly cut off, as was the case on the day of the attack, and a woman’s cry of distress breaks the silence.
As relatives of those killed lit candles, the echo of a helicopter in flight and artillery fire could be heard from the Gaza Strip, the neighboring Palestinian territory.
The ceremony ends with the Israeli national anthem, Hatikva (“Hope” in Hebrew), performed by singer Israel Bar-On.
“As if they were handpicked, they are all beautiful”
The old dance floor houses large stems like steles, decorated with photos of people killed or taken hostage during the Hamas attack a year earlier.
Framing these faces, often young: sometimes wild anemones, these red flowers emblems of southern Israel, elsewhere children’s drawings or an Israeli flag. Everywhere the serious expression of loved ones.
“It’s sad to see all these young people who were murdered – as if they were handpicked, they are all beautiful”laments Odette Keilin, who lost her daughter Hila Keilin, a forty-year-old mother of 4 children, killed on the spot.
She comes here every fortnight “to be with Hila”.
The Gaza Strip transformed into a cemetery
The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, the majority civilians, according to an AFP count based on official figures, including hostages who died in captivity.
Of the 251 people kidnapped during the attack, 34 were declared dead by the army, including the last on Monday. 97 are still hostages in Gaza in a situation described as “very difficult” by Hamas spokesperson Abou Obeida.
The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, spoke of the “unspeakable suffering” hostages in Gaza. At the same time, Mr. Lazzarini claimed that the Palestinian territory had been transformed into “cemetery”. Entire sectors of the Gaza Strip have been reduced to ruins, almost all of its 2.4 million inhabitants have been displaced and at least 41,909 Palestinians have been killed there, the majority civilians, according to ministry data. of Health of the Hamas government, deemed reliable by the UN.
