North London father ‘broken’ after 12-year-old twins murdered by Hamas
Yannai and Liel Hetzroni-Heller were killed on the kibbutz they were staying in with their great-aunt, who also died in the 7 October terror attack
Gavin Heller, who lives in north London, said the “unfathomable, unimaginable, unspeakable has happened to my gorgeous children”.
His son and daughter Yannai and Liel Hetzroni-Heller were killed during the Hamas attack on the Kibbutz Be’eri on 7 October.
The twins were raised in Israel by their great-aunt, who was also killed.
UK-based relatives of those who were murdered or kidnapped during the attack are being supported by family liaison officers attached to the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command.
In a statement issued through the force, Mr Heller said: “I am utterly devastated by the news of my children’s deaths in Israel; it has broken me.
“Yannai and Liel had their entire lives ahead of them, but they were cruelly and brutally murdered on that fateful 7 October. My life will never be the same.
“There are no words that can ever or will ever explain this pain and brutality.
“The unfathomable, unimaginable, unspeakable has happened to my gorgeous children, and the world has turned against humanity.”
Israeli media has reported the children were held hostage by Hamas gunmen in a building that caught fire during a stand-off with Israeli forces.
Yannai and his great-aunt were buried at a ceremony on 15 November, at which some of Liel’s belongings were also buried in the absence of her body. Days later some of her remains were identified.
Mr Heller added that he was “heartbroken and horrified.
“There’s, for certain, no worse way to leave this world than to be violently murdered by a terrorist; all because they were Jewish,” he said.
“Lives have been torn apart in the worst way. Liel wasn’t even buried as there weren’t enough fragments of her. Her toys were buried instead of her body.
“Too few moments were shared with them and I cannot believe this is how their story ends. I will forever hold my precious Yannai and Liel in my heart.
“May they both be at peace, together in heaven. All we can do now is pray that the world comes to its senses and understands that ‘never again’ is now.”
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