A missing 12-year-old Israeli Harry Potter fan whose plight was highlighted by author JK Rowling was murdered by Hamas terrorists, the country has announced.
Noya Dan – who was autistic – and her 80-year-old grandmother Carmela were among those who went missing when Hamas terrorists attacked on October 7.
Since then, their family have been clinging to the hope that they were kidnapped rather than killed, and would be found and returned by Israeli forces who are preparing to launch a ground assault to destroy Hamas and rescue hostages.
However, on Wednesday, the Dan family confirmed in a tragic Facebook post that the bodies of both Noya and Carmela had been identified.
Their deaths at the hands of Hamas gunmen were later confirmed by the Israeli minister of foreign affairs, with Israeli reports saying they had been burned.
Three more members of the Dan family are understood to still be missing.
An Israeli Harry Potter fan whose plight was highlighted by author JK Rowling has been found dead, the country has announced. Noya Dan (pictured), a 12-year-old autistic child, and her 80-year-old grandmother Carmela, were among those who went missing on October 7
News of Noya’s disappearance prompted Harry Potter author JK Rowling to condemn the Hamas attacks, and specifically the kidnapping of children.
The author on Tuesday shared a picture of Noya wearing a Harry Potter costume on X, formerly Twitter, with the caption: ‘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.’
In the photo posted by Rowling, a grinning Noya could be seen wearing clothes resembling the Hogwarts school uniform (the wizarding school in Rowling’s books) as well as the iconic red and yellow Gryffindor tie (one of the school’s houses).
She appeared to be dressed as one of the main characters – Hermione Granger – and was also holding a Hebrew copy of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (the fifth book in the series) as well as a wand.
Israel had previously posted Noya’s picture on X on Sunday, saying: ‘This beautiful 12 year old girl with autism was kidnapped from her home by Hamas terrorists and was taken to Gaza. Noya is sensitive, kind, funny and a massive Harry Potter fan.’
The State of Israel’s official X account also urged JK Rowling to share Noya’s story in the hopes of ‘bringing her home’.
Rowling’s post touched many, especially fellow Harry Potter fans, and further brought home the reality of the brutal terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas that killed as many as 1,400 people in Israel, many of whom are yet to be identified.
The terrorists also kidnapped at least 203 others, including children, and took them into the Gaza Strip to be held as hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
The brutal rampage through kibbutzim and other settlements in southern Israel sparked a retaliatory response from the country’s military, which has relentlessly bombed the Gaza enclave leading to thousands of Palestinian deaths.
Late on Wednesday, the Dan family confirmed in a tragic post on Facebook that the bodies of both Noya and Carmela (left and right) had been identified. Their deaths were later confirmed by the Israeli minister of foreign affairs
JK Rowling wrote on Tuesday: ‘May Noya and all hostages taken by Hamas be returned soon, safely, to their families’ after learning that Noya was among those missing after the attack
The deaths of Noya and Carmela were later confirmed by Israel’s official Twitter account
A building in Kibbutz Nir Oz is seen in the aftermath of the Hamas attack on the community
Some estimates place the number of casualties in the Hamas attack on Nir Oz as high as 240
Noya had been staying with her her grandmother when the pair were taken prisoner in Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the several Israeli communities just miles from Gaza that were attacked by Hamas 13 days ago.
According to Israeli news sources, their bodies were found burned near the Israel-Gaza border fence by workers for ZAKA Search and Rescue organisation.
Israel did not confirm where the bodies were found.
The tragic news was first confirmed on Facebook by people close to the family.
‘Today was a difficult day. All kinds of reasons, all kinds of feelings, many tears, many conversations. At the end of the day, difficult news arrived, ones we hoped not to receive. Carmela Dan, Noya Dan are no longer with us,’ Sharon Calderon wrote.
‘May they be remembered for love. We continue to fight to bring Ofer, Sahar Varez home,’ she added, in reference to others who are missing.
Read Related Also: Bad news, ladies… after listening to more than 2,200 encounters, scientists have finally worked out how to tell you’re faking it
Noam Dan, Carmela’s niece, wrote on her Facebook page: ‘It just dawned on us that our beloved family members Noya and Carmela are no longer alive.
‘We are in great pain… we have three more souls to save in the family (and in the country – a huge amount…) so tomorrow we will continue. Thanks for the hug. From our hearts that drink from pain and gratitude.’
In a message on X, Israel said: ‘We are devastated to announce that Noya and her grandmother Carmela’s bodies were discovered yesterday. Thank you to all of you who shared her story to help us bring her home. Our hearts are broken.’
Last week, Noya’s mother had shared the heartbreaking last conversation she had with her 12-year-old daughter before the kidnapping.
Ms Dan was five miles away hiding in a panic room when Noya sent her a voice message: ‘Mummy, I’m scared. There are people in the house – help me.’
Noya hid in darkness at her grandmother Carmela’s home, texting each other in silence as explosions erupted around their kibbutz.
They disappeared after Noya sent a panicked message.
Noya’s mother managed to wait in safety with her husband – Noya’s stepfather – and her other daughter Tomal, 9, at their home in the settlement of Kibbutz Kissufim.
Galit Dan (right) said her daughter (left) was kidnapped by Hamas from the Nir Oz kibbutz on October 7 when it was attacked by Hamas terrorists
After 22 hours, the family was evacuated to a Dead Sea resort hotel.
Ms Dan told The Sun last week: ‘The pain is indescribable. My little girl went for a sleepover with her granny and was messaging us as these animals came for them.
‘Our best hope now is that they have been kidnapped and will somehow survive. I am living every parent’s nightmare — every parent in the world will feel our pain.’
Ms Dan told The Sun her daughter had autism and was extremely sensitive. She described her daughter as a ‘very sweet, very funny, very clever little girl’. She said that her grandmother Carmela was ‘vulnerable herself’. ‘What do they hope to achieve by doing this to innocent helpless people?’ she asked of Hamas.
Reports vary about exactly how many of Nir Oz’s 400 residents were killed by Hamas, but estimates range from 20 to 240. The surviving kibbutz members were evacuated to Eilat, where many are currently staying in a hotel.
News of the tragic deaths of Noya and her grandmother came as British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived in Israel to ‘express solidarity’ with the country.
He will also call for any escalation of violence in the wider region to be avoided.
Sunak landed at Ben Gurion airport on Thursday morning ahead of holding talks with his counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, and President Isaac Herzog.
‘Above all, I’m here to express my solidarity with the Israeli people. You have suffered an unspeakable, horrific act of terrorism and I want you to know that the United Kingdom and I stand with you,’ Mr Sunak told reporters on the ground.
Noya and her grandmother were captured in the Nir Oz kibbutz in southern Israel
Two women hug each other at a hotel in the southern city of Eilat on October 17, 2023, which is hosting survivors from the Israeli kibbutz of Nir Oz
People receive clothes from donations at a hotel in the southern city of Eilat
A woman walks in a hall where donated clothes are provided in the southern city of Eilat
As part of a trip, he will urge Middle East leaders to ‘avoid further dangerous escalation’, saying that ‘too many lives have been lost’ already in the conflict.
The visit comes after the US president flew into Israel on Wednesday in a diplomatic bid to prevent fighting from spiralling into a larger crisis.
Joe Biden urged Israel not to be ‘consumed by’ rage in the wake of Hamas’s deadly attack on October 7 and to avoid making the same ‘mistakes’ that the US did after September 11 2001, following the Islamist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
The president’s trip appeared to mark a breakthrough, with Mr Netanyahu’s office announcing it had approved a request from Mr Biden to allow Egypt to deliver limited quantities of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
