Relatives and friends of Noa and Nir Baranes, who were killed on Tuesday by a rocket barrage to the Golan Heights cannot digest the loss. Hagar Adar, Noa's sister, eulogized her in an interview to Kan News: "I am in shock. Only a moment ago the police came and said there has been an official identification. I was talking to Noa and Nir on the phone about half an hour before it happened. They took half a day off work and went to run errands in Karmiel." "Noa and Nir met when they were 20, in the army. They fell in love with each other. They were an admired, loved, loving couple. They were always doing good, laughing and were happy with life. Noa and Nir moved to Ortal because they love the country. Noa set up 'Mrs. Chocolate' and Nir worked in the poultry. He was a member of the first response team and served as the director of tourism on the kibbutz. Yaron Levy, a close friend of the couple, told the Maariv daily that "My family and I moved to the kibbutz seven years ago, and Noa and Nir were our adopting family. They took care of everything for us, made sure nothing was lacking. They were so generous, couldn’t do enough to help us. They became our best friends. We were in close daily contact. We traveled abroad together. We were together all the time. Thanks to them, the kibbutz became a home for us." "As soon as we received confirmation, our world fell apart. I was there, but I did not digest that this was actually happening. It is totally unbelievable." About Noa he said: "She always knew how to smile and give encouragement. She was in charge of manpower in agriculture, and she worked at a very high level. She was very professional. She would also make chocolates, pralines and ran chocolate-making workshops for children and adults. She recently planned to open a workshop in the kibbutz's tourist complex. I helped her with that, and we had just started preparations. We agreed that the workshop would officially open after the war ends. Unfortunately, this will no longer happen." ניר ונועה ברנס צילום: באדיבות המשפחה On the three children who have been left orphans, he said that "their eldest son just graduated from high school. He has surprised me with his strength after the tragedy. He is a very strong and intelligent boy." Uri Heitner, a member of Kibbutz Ortal, said that "Noa and Nir are close and beloved friends. We received the news with shock and pain. This is very difficult for us. For decades the Golan has been the quietest area in the country. In recent weeks they are focusing on our region, but we will not be evacuated." Muli Spiegel, director of engineering in the Golan Regional Council, said: "I arrived half an hour after the rocket and saw the car on fire. The police came and told us that there were warnings of falls and after a few minutes there were two more close to us. The impact was directly on the engine. There is an incident every day. A few days ago a rocket fell on the road. Luckily no one was driving there." Kibbutz Ortal eulogized the couple and said that "the Ortal community sends strength to the family and will cope with the situation.”
