The remains of a 12-year-old Israeli girl, burned alive alongside her twin brother and great-aunt in the October 7 Hamas onslaught on southwestern Israel, have been identified by archaeologists sifting through the rubble, family members said on Sunday.
Liel Hetzroni was murdered, together with her twin brother Yanai and their 73-year-old great-aunt Ayala, in the attack on Kibbutz Be'eri after they were taken hostage by the operatives, who were then engaged in a firefight with Israeli security forces.
The twins had been raised by their grandfather's sister after their single-parent mother suffered brain damage immediately following their C-section birth due to a tragic hospital mistake. Their grandfather Aviya was also killed in the attack on the kibbutz.
Family members held a symbolic, funeral at a temporary resting place at Kibbutz Revivim last Wednesday, burying Liel's belongings since her remains had not yet been identified. The family said Sunday that they will inter her remains at her home kibbutz, which is currently a closed military zone when the survivors of the terrorist rampage are allowed to return. About 10 per cent of the 1,000 members of Be'eri, facing the Gaza Strip, were murdered during the assault.
A team of about 15 archaeologists, assisted by Israeli soldiers, were called in because even after search and rescue teams scoured several communities, scores of people remained unaccounted for. Some had been burnt to ash. The archaeologists have managed to find the remains of dozens of people.
At least 1,200 people were killed in Hamas's attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Another 240 men, women, children and soldiers were taken back to Gaza as hostages. Some people remain unaccounted for as Israeli authorities continue to identify bodies and search for human remains.
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