The family of a Canadian-Israeli woman who has been missing since Hamas militants attacked a music festival in southern Israel on October 7 is facing the heartbreaking news of her death.
Shir Georgy’s aunt, Michal Bouganim, announced that the 22-year-old was killed by Hamas during the attack on the festival near Kibbutz Reim.
“We are currently going through a difficult situation, with a broken heart,” said Mme Bouganim on Instagram. Earlier today, Mme Bouganim shared a post, saying the family “received the terrible news.”
Shir Georgy is the fourth person of Canadian nationality to die in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The young woman, who held dual Israeli and Canadian nationality, was attending the Supernova music festival in the Negev desert – a region bordering the Gaza Strip – on October 7 when Hamas gunmen attacked the revelers.
In a 22-second video posted online by Mme Bouganim, we see Shir A terrified Georgy sits among other festival participants as they hide in a small room.
The young woman’s father was awakened in the middle of the night on Saturday by Israeli security forces to go to the morgue to identify his daughter’s body.
“I wanted to be sure it was really her,” he told Toronto Star. I hoped it was a mistake. »
She had sent a message to her parents the morning of the attack to tell them that she had found refuge and that they should not worry, then nothing.
« J’ai parlé avec la mère et le père [de Shir] “, said Valeri Mesasof, a cousin of the young woman’s mother who lives in Miami.
“They are not doing very well and it is something beyond comprehension,” said, in tears, Mme Menasof, in a telephone interview. Shir Georgy had two younger brothers and family in Israel.
“The Light of the House”
Hamas militants launched the deadly attack last weekend that left hundreds dead in Israel, including during the open-air festival. Israel responded by launching airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, controlled by Hamas since 2007, and cutting off access to water and electricity in the territory.
Hamas said the attack was a response to the deteriorating living conditions of Palestinians under Israeli occupation.
The Israeli army has asked more than a million people living in the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate the area, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Friday to destroy Hamas.
Mme Menasof explained that Shir Georgy had recently completed her service in the Israeli army and was eager to begin a new phase of her life.
“She was enjoying life like everyone else after the army,” she reported. She went to the party because she wanted to celebrate with her friends. »
Mme Menasof indicated that Shir Georgy had spent a few days with his family in the United States earlier this year and they were planning to meet next summer in Israel.
She was a girl who loved life. She loved people [et] loved to help them.
Valeri Mesasof, cousin of Shir Georgy’s mother
“Everyone loved him. She was a flower and her smile projected happiness. »
“Shir was the light of the house. She was a sweet, kind and extraordinary girl who always loved and respected everyone around her. She loved living,” Sivane Dahan, another cousin of the young victim, told Global News.
“It breaks my heart that she went to dance at a peace festival and didn’t come back,” she added.
Shir’s funeral Georgy was scheduled to take place in Israel later Saturday.