Noa Eyal z"l
Noa Eyal z"lCourtesy of the family

On Wednesday, the Jerusalem Police announced a breakthrough in the murder case of Noa Eyal, hy"d, who was found dead in a Ramot forest in 1998. She was 17. 

Family members have now begun to speak to the media following the development - which is still under gag order - noting, after more than 15 years of silence, that news of breakthrough is bittersweet. 

"I'm very happy that there's been a development in Noa's murder investigation," Eyal's father, Dr. Avi Eyal, stated to Walla! News on Wednesday. "The police are updating us, and it's very emotional."

"My feelings regarding this are overwhelming, and I hope justice is served for Noa," he added. "However, I know it can't bring her back." 

In late February of 1998, Eyal left a movie theater in central Jerusalem and walked toward Davidka Square with her boyfriend, Eldad Bribrum. She waited for a bus and parted ways with Bribrum, who went to another station to wait for the bus that would take him to his home in Ma'ale Adumim.

She never returned home, however. The next day, a search for her was launched and her body was found in the Ramot Forest in northern Jerusalem. Investigators could find no clues to lead them to the murderer except for DNA that was found on the body. 

Bribrum's mother stated to the press on Wednesday that Noa's murder continues to haunt Eldad, whom she is keeping updated on events from afar. Eldad, now 34, is currently on a business trip in Japan. 

"It has not been easy. There was life before Noa, and life after," Bribum's mother stated. "I was very happy to hear of a breakthrough."

"This is not something [Eldad] has ever forgotten," she added. "Even though he has dated other people, it is always, 'I had a girlfriend named Noa, and I have X who is my girlfriend now."

Bribrum also stated that she has been convinced, all these years, that Noa's killer was known to her. 

"From what I knew of her, she never would have accepted a ride from someone she didn't know," Bribrum said. "It was obvious [the killer] was someone she knew."