By Eirian Jane Prosser and Rachael Bunyan and Nick Fagge At The Dead Sea In Israel and Summer Goodkind
The
heartbroken family of a 13-year-old British girl who was murdered when
Hamas terrorists launched their barbaric attack in Israel have paid
tribute to the teenager who was 'full of adventure and mischief'.
Yahel
Sharabi, 13, disappeared after the terrorists attacked Be'eri Kibbutz
and killed her British mother Lianne, who was born in Bristol.
This morning her relatives confirmed that 'beautiful Yahel' was also slaughtered in the attack. Her older sister Noiya Sharabi, 16, and their Israeli father Eli Sharabi remain missing, while her uncle Yossi, 53, was kidnapped and taken to Gaza.
The grief-stricken family said in a statement to the BBC:
'Beautiful Yahel. A bundle of unbridled energy and joy, with a
cheekiness that you could not help but smile at and a brain which was
sharp as a tack.
'Full of adventure and
mischief, we will forever miss her, but are grateful for the light she
brought into our lives in the too short time she was with us.'
The
family are now urging Rishi Sunak to visit the war-torn country,
telling MailOnline: 'We demand that the Prime Minister of England come
to Israel and demand that Hamas release all the hostages.'
Newly
released photos of the cheeky young teen show her beaming as she stood
in climbing gear, while another shows her stood at the side of a pool in
diving kit.
As the war between Israel
and Hamas enters its second week, dozens of Israelis remain missing,
including some who are also British citizens.
Amongst
those unaccounted for is 21-year-old Mia Schem, an Israeli-French
citizen who was abducted on October 7 by the Palestinian militants,
along with other young Israelis from the deadly Nova Festival near the
Israeli border.
Today Mia's distressed
mother, Karen Schem, appealed for her child to be returned home,
'begging the world to bring [her] baby back' adding that she 'only went
to a party, to a festival to have some fun' but 'now she's in Gaza'.
Meanwhile,
dozens are thought to have been killed in Gaza this afternoon after
Israel bombed the southern region after telling Palestinians to evacuate
just days ago.
Back in Britain, Good Morning Britain host Richard Madeley
sparked a huge backlash after asking British-Palestinian MP Layla
Moran, whose family are trapped in Gaza, whether she knew about the
Hamas terrorist attack before it happened.
Yahel Sharabi, 13, disappeared after the terrorists attacked Be'eri Kibbutz
Yahel's heartbroken family this afternoon paid tribute to the 'beautiful' teenager
Yahel (left) and her mother Lianne (centre) were killed by Hamas terrorists on October 7. Noiya (right) is still missing
Yahel, 13, (right) was murdered
by Hamas terrorists, her family have confirmed, while her older sister
Noiya, 16, (left) is still missing
Yahel,
13, disappeared after the terrorists attacked Kibbutz Be'eri and killed
her British-born mother Lianne. Her family have confirmed she was
murdered while her sister Noiya, 16, (right) is still missing alongside
their father
Houses are destroyed after clashes between Israeli and Palestinian forces in Be'eri, Israel, on October 14
Israeli soldiers patrol the area
as the traces of clashes between Israeli and Palestinian forces are seen
in Be'eri on October 14
Yahel and her sister hadn't
been heard from since black-clad gunmen, wielding assault rifles and
hand grenades, went door to door at their small kibbutz looking for
Israeli families to slaughter or kidnap in their savage attack on
October 7.
The family were sheltering
in the safe room at their home in the Kerem - ‘grape vine’ -
neighbourhood of the kibbutz when the terrorists broke in, relatives
told MailOnline today.
The girl's
relatives who live in the UK said the family visited at least once a
year and spoke of the 'joy on [the girl's] faces when they ripped open
gifts'.
Yahel's death comes as the family was still reeling from her mother's murder. Speaking
of Lianne, who first moved to Israel as a kibbutz volunteer when she
was 19, the family added: 'She lived a beautiful life and will be sorely
missed by the heartbroken family and friends she leaves behind.'
Last night Yahel
and Noiya's heartbroken uncles told MailOnline that they weren't eating
or sleeping since they reported the girls missing and were determined
to do everything they could to bring them back to safety.
The
girls' uncles, Raz Matalon and Sharon Sharabi, said they had received a
series of panicked messages from Lianne on October 7 who told them she
heard gunshots outside their home.
They
told MailOnline: 'She wrote that she heard gunshots outside her home.
That people were screaming and calling in Arabic. And people running all
over.
'So they stayed in the safe room until they heard the terrorists had entered the house and tried to open the door.'
It
was at this moment all communication from Lianne and her family ceased,
leaving her family waiting in vain for any news of their loved ones.
The
uncles said it wasn't until three days later that Israeli soldiers were
able to enter Eli and Lianne's home, where they saw bullets embedded in
the walls of the bomb shelter and in the children's room.
'There were too big blood stains on the floor,' Matalon and Sharabi said. 'They saw the dog lying there dead.'
Noiya, far right, and her father Eli (centre) are still missing while her mother (left) was killed by the terrorists
Israeli soldiers cordon off an
area in Be'eri Kibbutz near the border with the Gaza Strip on October 15
following the Hamas attack
Houses are destroyed after Hamas terrorists set fire to homes in Be'eri, Israel, last week
A man checks the interior of a house damaged in the October 7 attack by Hamas terrorists on Kibbutz Be'eri on October 14
A soldier inspects the debris, which includes smashed furniture and bullet-ridden walls
Israeli soldiers walk past a house destroyed in the attack by Hamas terrorists
The
family fear Noiya and her father Eli have been taken into Gaza as
hostages where the Hamas terrorists are using people they have captured
as 'human shields' to fend off Israeli forces.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed yesterday that six Britons were killed in the attacks last week, while another ten are missing.
Last week, chilling video emerged of the moment Hamas terrorists ran towards homes in the Be'eri kibbutz and unleashed a hail of bullets on the terrified families living there.
What
had been a quiet morning, where many of the 1,000 families - including
Yahel, Noiya and their parents - would have been sleeping or enjoying
breakfast, turned into one of nightmares.
The
gunmen can be heard shouting orders at each other in the video as they
run from house to house, the sickening sound of gunshots filling the
morning air.
Four gunmen can be seen
approaching one family home before shooting into the windows. One of the
terrorists can be seen kicking down the door as a round of five
gunshots can be heard in the background in quick succession.
The
video cuts out before the terrorists manage to break down the door, but
it was at this kibbutz they ruthlessly shot dead screaming families as
they begged for their lives. Israeli soldiers would later find the
bodies of 108 Israeli civilians lying riddled with bullet holes in their
homes.
Chilling video has emerged of the
moment Hamas terrorists ran towards homes in the kibbutz and unleashed a
hail of bullets on the terrified families living there
Israeli soldiers carry the body of a Hamas terrorist in Be'eri Kibbutz on Wednesday
A house is completely destroyed after being burned by Hamas terrorists during the attack at Be'eri Kibbutz
Buildings and vehicles are destroyed after Hamas terrorists launched their attack on Be'eri
Israeli
Major General Itai Veruv told how the Hamas terrorists had thrown a
hand grenade towards 15 girls and teenagers who were desperately trying
to hide from them. All were found dead in that single room.
The
Hamas gunmen also set fire to several homes here in a sick attempt to
force the families out so that they could gun them down as soon as they
reached their gardens.
Horrific photos
too graphic to publish showed how one woman was lying face down in the
bed in a pool of blood with six gaping holes in her mottled, decomposing
skin.
Next to her, a man with dark
hair awkwardly slipped in a gap between the bed and a wall. His black
clothes, which appeared to be pyjamas, were still slick with his blood,
which pooled in a dark red mess on the floor below him.
His
body could be seen decomposing - his face has blackened with boils all
over his arms. Chunks of his flesh were missing from his right arm and
hand.
Outside,
several cars were left flattened, while the bodies of people in
everyday clothing can be seen lying in awkward positions.
One survivor, Haim Jelin, told local media that Hamas fighters 'walked around Be'eri like they owned the place'.
He
added: 'They shot indiscriminately, abducted whoever they could, burned
down people's homes so they'd have to escape through the window, where
the terrorists would wait.'
A woman
called Miri Gad Mesika told local media that she and her husband were
choking on thick smoke and gas fumes as they tried to hide.
'We
soaked towels with water and covered our faces, while my husband Eli
held the shelter door closed as hard as he could as the terrorists tried
to break in,' she said.
'Moments
before we jumped from the second floor, we assessed the situation of the
fire and looked out for the terrorists and decided to jump.
'We
fled to our neighbours across the street, and watched our house go up
in flames before it was completely burned down. I have no idea how we
survived.'
Israeli Major General Itai
Veruv, who arrived at Be'eri on Saturday to join the fighting there,
said as he walked past a home in the now blackened kibbutz: 'Children in
the same room and someone came and killed them all. Fifteen girls and
teenagers, they put (them) in the same room, threw in a hand grenade and
it's over.'
'This is a massacre. It's a pogrom.'
Be'eri,
a settlement of a little more than 1,000 people, is one of more than 20
towns and villages ambushed early Saturday by Hamas terrorists.
Before
the attack, Be'eri — started by Zionist settlers two years before the
country itself was founded — was known for its industriousness,
including a large printing plant that turns out Israeli driver's
licenses.
Now
it has become a horrific symbol of the war with Hamas, which
authorities say has so far left about 1,300 dead in Israel and about
2,778 people in Gaza.
Mr Sunak
said the people killed and missing in the Hamas attack on Israel came
from more than 30 countries, as well as Israel. He called the attack 'an
existential strike at the very idea of Israel as a safe homeland for
the Jewish people.'
He said Britain
supports 'absolutely Israel's right to defend itself, to go after Hamas,
take back the hostages, deter further incursions and strengthen its
security for the long term - in line with international humanitarian
law.'
He added the UK has earmarked
£10million to alleviate the 'acute humanitarian crisis' in Gaza, and
urged Israel and Egypt to open a border crossing to let in aid.
Meanwhile,
further video of the attack on the Be'eri kibbutz where Yahel lived
with her family shows the moment the murderous gunmen shot dead an Israeli family's dog before storming their home, raiding their fridge and setting their home alight.
The
clip, obtained from the GoPro camera attached to the helmet of one
Hamas fighter, showed how the dog came bounding out of the house towards
the attackers and was immediately mowed down with several bullets.
Hamas
terrorists promptly invaded one house and rifled through the family's
belongings, drinking orange juice from their fridge and gorging
themselves on its contents.
Then one
militant drew a lighter from his pocket and took it to the wall,
sparking house plants and hanging ornaments that quickly set ablaze
before the heavily armed men made their exit.
Further video of the attack shows
the moment the murderous gunmen shot dead an Israeli family's dog
before storming their home, raiding their fridge and setting their home
alight amid a campaign of civilian slaughter
One militant withdrew a lighter from his pocket and held it to the wall, setting fire to house plants and hanging ornaments
The dog came bounding out of the house towards the attackers and was immediately mowed down with several bullets
Another
harrowing scene from the same kibbutz showed how a second group of
Hamas militants gained access to the gated compound by slaughtering
civilians at near point blank range as they sat in a car.
The
footage of the brutal attack was captured by cameras mounted at various
points overlooking the entrance to the kibbutz, protected by a yellow
metal gate.
CCTV camera footage,
timestamped 5.55am on Saturday, shows two Hamas militants armed with
AK-47s and dressed in camouflaged military clothing, body armour and
combat boots approaching the gate that blocks a two-lane road.
At
first, the two fighters are seen trying to find a way through the gate,
with one testing to see whether he could fit through the small gap
underneath.
He soon changes his mind,
and instead breaks into a small guardhouse that sits to one side of the
kibbutz entrance, using his rifle to smash his way inside.
Seconds
after he climbs through a window, the other combatant spots the
approaching car. He hides behind a tree, while the first soldier hides
inside the guardhouse, setting an ambush for the approaching vehicle.
At
5.57am, barely two minutes after the two militants were first seen
inspecting the entryway to the kibbutz, the driver and passenger are
seen pulling up to the gate.
Both are seemingly unaware that the two armed men are lying in wait, and the electronically-operated gate starts to open.
As
the driver briefly leans out the window, seemingly to address whoever
is inside the guard-house, the armed militant is seen running out from
behind the tree.
Israeli rescuers shared a shocking image of a blood-soaked nursery in Be'eri
A nursery room is seen charred after Hamas set fire to the building
Once
he is feet away from the car, he mercilessly opens fire from point
blank range through the passenger side window, blasting the two Israelis
with several rounds.
From the other
side, the Hamas militant in the guard house also opens fire, hitting the
driver several times, who is seen being buffeted as he it hit by the
bullets.
As the militants run through
the now open gate, the footage shows the car continuing to gently roll
forward into the kibbutz which has now been breached.
The
victims inside the car remain motionless, covered in blood. Both are
presumed to have been killed in the attack, likely among the first
victims on Saturday which saw more than 1,000 Hamas gunmen stream across
the border from Gaza and into Israel, where they indiscriminately shot
civilians while taking others hostage.
The Times of Israel reported Hamas had control of the Be'eri kibbutz for 17 hours.
General
Veruv, who had retired from the military until he was recalled Saturday
to lead forces fighting to regain control of towns that were attacked,
said Hamas fighters had taken up entrenched positions in the ruins of
Be'eri, hiding in small groups before surprising Israeli soldiers as
they went from house to house.
'Every time that we thought we cleaned the area and everything was silent, suddenly another 12 or another 20 got out,' he said.
