The family of Shirel Golan announced on Sunday October 20 that the 22-year-old young woman had committed suicide, a little over a year after the Nova festival massacre by Hamas.
A family marked by grief. Relatives of Shirel Golan, a 22-year-old Israeli who was present during the Nova festival on October 7, 2023, the day of the Hamas attack in Israel, announced that she had committed suicide on Sunday October 20.
The announcement was made during a fundraiser held simultaneously in Tel Aviv, Israel, and London, United Kingdom, to provide psychological help to victims of the October 7 attacks, according to The Jerusalem Post.
The young woman’s family assures that Shirel Golan suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder since she witnessed the massacre which left more than 370 dead and accuses the Israeli government of not having supported her enough.
“Like a dying flower” since October 7
“It happened after a year of ups and downs. Since October 7 (2023 Editor’s note), Shirel has been like a dying flower,” her father Meir Golan confides to Israeli media Channel 12.
Marked by the horror scenes she witnessed at the Nova festival, the young woman decided to go on a trip to India to clear her mind. “After a few days in India, she suddenly called. She was having mental problems, she said to me: ‘Dad, save me’,” says the father of five.
Back in Israel, Shirel Golan shows signs leading her father to believe that she is suffering from depression. “She didn’t want anything, she had completely lost her joy of living,” he confides.
“If the state had taken care of her, this would never have happened”
The pain was so severe that, according to her father, she tried to end her life for the first time last September by ingesting a large quantity of medication. “We were afraid it would happen again,” breathes Meir Golan.
The young woman suffered from dissociation disorders and a fear of abandonment. She had to be hospitalized twice, according to Times of Israel.
Shirel Golan’s family assures that the young woman only received support from volunteers from the Tribe of Nova community association. Insufficient for those close to him. “If the state had taken care of her, this would never have happened,” denounces her brother Eyal.
“The Israeli state killed my sister twice. Once psychologically on October 7 (2023) and a second time today (Sunday), on her 22nd birthday, physically,” accuses Eyal Golan.
“So that others do not lose their loved ones”
Shirel Golan’s brother calls on the government to “wake up” before more suicides occur among October 7 survivors.
“I lost my sister, but I want to make my voice heard so that others do not lose their loved ones,” explains Eyal Golan.
The Israeli was present at the Nova festival on October 7, 2023 with her boyfriend Adi, according to the Israeli press. The couple first managed to get into a car, but were unable to flee the scene. They therefore hid behind a bush before being rescued by a police officer.
