On Tuesday, Carmela Dan from Kibbutz Nir Oz was supposed to celebrate her 80th birthday. Her family gathered to mark the occasion, while she and her 13-year-old granddaughter, Noya Dan, were listed as missing.
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On Wednesday, the devastating news arrived when the bodies of the grandmother and granddaughter were found side by side. Author J.K. Rowling shared a photo this week of Noya dressed as Hermione Granger, holding one of the Harry Potter books.
“Kidnapping children is despicable and wholly unjustifiable,” the British author posted to X when Noya was still listed as missing. After Noya’s body was identified, she wrote, “I have no words.”
"Today was a difficult day," wrote family member Sharon Calderon Wednesday night. "For various reasons, an array of emotions, many tears, many conversations. At the end of the day came the tragic news we hoped never to receive. Carmela Dan and Noya Dan are no longer with us. May their memories be cherished with love."
Carmela and Noya, a girl on the autistic spectrum, had been missing since the tragic day when Hamas terrorists attacked the residents of Gaza border towns, up until Wednesday. Three other family members remain missing: two more of Carmela's grandchildren, 16-year-old Sahar and 11-year-old Erez Calderon, and their father Ofer, 50. Erez was seen in a video distributed by Hamas from Gaza which raises hope all three may have been abducted to the Palestinian enclave.
Galit Dan, Noya's mother and Carmela's daughter, spoke with Ynet the day after the attack, still holding out hope that they were alive. "Noya is my eldest; she is mine alone. I'm a single mother, and she's a uniquely special child."
The Dans and Calderons are missing - video in 6 languages
She recounted the close bond between the grandmother and granddaughter. "On Friday evening, my mother joined us for dinner at Kibbutz Kissufim, where we moved two months ago from Nir Oz. Noya decided to go back with her to Nir Oz and stay the night. They share an incredible connection."
"In the morning, my mother texted me saying that her home was being ransacked as the terrorists barged in and were taking everything they could get their hands on. A few minutes later, Noya left me a voice message saying there was chaos and that she was scared. I haven't heard from either of them since," Galit recounted at the time. Wednesday, the last glimmer of hope was extinguished when the bodies of the two were found.
Arik was murdered, his daughter Ruth is missing
Another family received tragic news Wednesday when the body of Arik Peretz, 58, who attended the music festival near Kibbutz Re’im, was identified. His daughter Ruth, 17, who attended the party with him, is still
missing.
Ruth suffers from muscle atrophy and cerebral palsy. She moved using a wheelchair and was tube-fed. According to reports, Ruth's wheelchair was found at the scene. The last time they were seen, Arik was carrying her in his arms. Yamit Peretz, Ruth's sister, wrote on Facebook that as of now, only Arik has been positively identified, not Ruth.
Ya’arit, Ruth's other sister, told Ynet this week that their father used to take Ruth to music festivals around the world for years, as they had a positive effect on her. Her last contact with her father was at 7:40am on Saturday. According to her, he told her that the signal was weak and he had no idea where to go.
On Saturday night, the family received a message that the two's mobile phones were located in Gaza. Ya’arit added that the chances of her sister surviving captivity on her own are slim, as she requires a lot of medical equipment and her communication abilities are very limited.