A young woman named Shirel Golan, who survived the Hamas massacre at the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im in Israel on October 7, 2023, died by suicide at her home on her 22nd birthday.
Her family said that Golan passed away on October 20 at her residence in Porat, northwest Israel after a year-long struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since escaping the attack, Times of Israel reported.
Shirel who turned 22 on Sunday, was supposed to spend the day celebrating her birthday with her family by visiting the Western Wall and the Cave of the Patriarchs. Her family accused the authorities of failing to provide her the adequate support in getting her the necessary mental health treatment following the attack.
In an interview with the Herbew media, Shirel’s brother Eyal said, “I saw that she had symptoms of post-traumatic stress, such as withdrawing and distancing herself from her friends. I asked her to take care of herself. She said that she doesn’t get any help from the state. If the state had taken care of her, none of this would have happened.”
“The State of Israel killed my sister twice. Once in October, mentally, and a second time today, on her 22nd birthday, physically,” he added.
He further said that the state needed to “wake up,” or there could be more suicide attempts. “I lost my sister, but I want to raise a hue and cry so others won’t lose their loved ones,” he said
Eyal said that Shirel had been hospitalised twice since the massacre. In the weeks and months following the assault, Golan began developing symptoms of PTSD, including disassociation and withdrawal.
Eyal said that when he noticed her withdrawing from people and asked her to seek help, she said that she hadn’t received any help from the state, and that any assistance she had received had come from the grassroots Tribe of Nova Community association, founded by fellow survivors and relatives of victims following the attack, Times Of Israel reported.
Golan and her partner Adi were among the thousands of partygoers who managed to flee the Nova music festival as Hamas-led terrorists began massacring attendees on October 7, 2023. According to authorities, 364 people at the open-air music and dance festival near Kibbutz Re’im in southern Israel were slaughtered, and many of them were subjected to other atrocities, including gang rape and mutilation of victims. Dozens of others at the festival were abducted and dragged into Gaza.
Golan is survived by her parents and four elder brothers.
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