The Dan and Kaldron families, who have wavered between hope and despair since nearly 3,000 Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel on the morning of October 7, raping, massacring, and kidnapping Israelis, have received the news that two of their missing relatives have been found murdered.
Five of the family members were considered to be missing, among them Carmela, an 80-year-old grandmother who lived in Kibbutz Nir Oz, and her granddaughter, 12-year-old Noya, from Kissufim.
On Wednesday evening, the family received the news that the bodies of Carmela and her granddaughter, who had been visiting her at the time of the massacre, had been identified among the dead in Nir Oz.
Noya is autistic, and was described by relative Lee Dan as, "very sensitive to noise and crowded spaces."
A Harry Potter fan who dressed up as Hermione, Noya drew the attention of author J.K. Rowling, who shared her photo, writing, "Kidnapping children is despicable and wholly unjustifiable. For obvious reasons, this picture has hit home with me. May Noya and all hostages taken by Hamas be returned soon, safely, to their families."
Ofer Kaldron, 50, Noya's uncle; his 16-year-old daughter Sahar; and his 12-year-old son Erez are still missing.
"Today was a difficult day," Sharon Kaldron wrote. "For all sorts of reasons, all sorts of emotions, many tears, many conversations. At the end of the day the awful news arrived, the news which we hoped we would not receive. Carmela Dan, Noya Dan, are no longer with us. May their memory be for love. We continue to fight to bring Ofer, Sahar, and Erez home."
Noam Dan, Carmela's niece, wrote, "It has now been clarified to us that our beloved relatives Noya and Carmela are not among the living. We are in great pain... We have in our family another three people to save (and in the country - an enormous number...) so tomorrow we will continue. Thank you for the embrace. From our heart bleeding from pain, and appreciative thanks."
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