‘If I start thinking too hard about the loss of my brother… it would break me’
Ayelet Svatitzky, whose brother was killed in the Oct 7th Hamas massacre at the Nirim Kibbutz in southern Israel, spoke of her pain his loss at a London press conference
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
The sister of one of the victims of the October 7th Hamas terrorist attacks has told a press conference in London:”I try not to deal with the loss of my brother… if I start thinking too much it would break me.”
Ayelet Svatitzky, whose brother was killed in a raid on the Nirim kibbutz in southern Israel, told reporters at theIsraeli Embassy in London that her “life stopped” after she learned of the massacre.
The British-Israeli’s other brother and mother have both been taken hostage by Hamas militants, but she said 18 days later she has had no information on their safety or whereabouts.
Speaking on how she had coped since her family were kidnapped, Svatitzky said she wished to be “the voice for everyone who can’t be here now.”
She added:”I need to be efficient, effective and productive trying to get the Red Cross to family members to see them, to get lists of who has been taken.
“We are chasing information, we are trying to get the hostages help and to get information out.”
Ofri Bibas Levi also told the press conference on Tuesday how she received a series of text messages on October 7th, from her brother Yarden Bibas, who lived on the kibbutz Nir Oz with his wife, Shiri.
The final text from him warned the Hamas terrorists were about to enter their house, before her brother was taken with his wife and two children.”It is like living in a nightmare,” she told the press conference, revealing she knows that Hamas terrorists had shot the family dog.
On October 10th, Levi received photos that showed her brother being manhandled by Hamas terrorists, while there was also a video of Shiri with the kids.
“The pictures keep running in front of my eyes,” she told the press conference. “I feel guilty for eating, I feel guilty for sleeping in my own bed, I feel guilty for playing with my own children.”
Livi said it was now like “torture” hearing about hostages being released while not knowing the fate of her own family.
David Barr, from Leeds, said he had been living in Israel since 1984, most recently on kibbutz Alumim.
The community came under attack last Saturday while his sister-in-law, Naomi Shitrit, was out for her regular morning jog. She was killed by the gunmen.
He revealed the pain of burying his sister-in-law, after she was shot by Hamas terrorists.
Barr told the press conference said: “It took four days to identify what we call the ‘Smile of the south of Israel’.
“She was well-known – she worked as a dental assistant and in the past few years, also, a keep-perfect freak.
“She simply went for a run in her kibbutz.
“She was shot in the back and shot again in the head at point-blank range.
“Life is turned upside down by death, by hatred, by evil people, monsters.”
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