A 22-year-old Israeli woman who survived a Hamas massacre at the Noah music festival near Kibbutz Reim on October 7, 2023, killed herself on her birthday after a year-long battle with post-traumatic stress disorder, her family said Sunday.
Shirel Golan, who turned 22 on Sunday, was set to celebrate her birthday with her family, according to the Times of Israel. Instead, he’s found dead at home, his phone filled with unanswered wishes from friends for his 22nd birthday.
Her death immediately sparked angry complaints from her brother, who accused her of failing to provide her with the mental health support she needed after the October 7 massacre.
“If the government had taken care of her, none of this would have happened,” he told Israeli media. “The Israeli government killed my sister twice. Once in October, mentally, and the second time today, on her 22nd birthday, physically.”
Other Israeli media published the Ministry of Welfare and Social Services’ rebuttal to the family’s claims, saying that Golan “was recognized and treated in the welfare system before and especially after October 7”.
According to the family of Nova survivor Shiral Colen, she ended her life on her 22nd birthday due to depression and untreated post-traumatic stress disorder.
A mentally scarred generation that isn’t busy with what’s going to happen here years from now. Not only the first line of survivors of atrocities, but also combatants, families, caregivers and “ordinary” citizens “only”… pic.twitter.com/eRvZBmW0hQ
— Michal Peylan • Michal Keiflan (@michalpeylan) October 20, 2024
How they survived the massacre at the Noah festival
Shirel and his partner Andy were among thousands of visitors to the Noah festival and managed to escape an attack by Hamas terrorists.
They first tried to flee the area in a vehicle, but abandoned the car when they realized they could not escape. The pair hid under the bush for hours and were finally discovered by a police officer who ordered a vehicle to rescue the partisans caught in the fire, eventually saving around 200 people.
While hiding, the pair narrowly avoided getting into another car whose occupants were either killed or kidnapped by Hamas terrorists as they tried to get to safety.
According to officials, 364 people were massacred at an open-air music and dance festival near Kibbutz Reim in southern Israel, while many of them suffered other atrocities, including gang-rape and mutilation of the victims. Dozens of festival attendees were abducted and dragged to Gaza.
Source: TheTOC.gr