The brother of an Israeli woman who survived a Hamas-led attack on Israel a year ago and died by suicide on her 22nd birthday is accusing government agencies of failing to treat her post-traumatic stress disorder.
Shiler Golan and his partner Adi were among thousands of people who fled the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Lem on October 7, 2023, as extremists began killing and kidnapping partygoers. was included in. Her brother, Eyal Golan, said they had planned to celebrate last Sunday. with her family. Instead, her boyfriend found her dead in the garden of her parents’ home in the central Israeli town of Porat.
“He ran outside screaming, ‘Why did you do this!’ Why? Why? Why?” Eyal Golan told USA TODAY.
Shirel Golan was buried on Monday at Telmond Cemetery, about 20 minutes north of Tel Aviv. Her brother claims she died because the state social security and welfare agency failed to help her.
"They are 100% responsible for my sister’s death,” said Golan, 36, who said he too suffers from PTSD stemming from his 2021 military service. The arrow points to these two elements. ”
Golan fondly remembers Shirel, who helped her parents change diapers, feed and play with her when she was a toddler. After his daughter was born, Shirel became more interested in his family than himself, he said with a laugh. That was before Hamas-led militants swept across the border into Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostages.
Nearly 400 of the deaths occurred at the Nova Music Festival, where dozens were taken hostage. After the attack, my younger sister, who was once healthy and energetic, became reclusive. The entire family was worried about her and rarely left her alone for long periods of time, he said, adding that government agencies provided little assistance.
“They have a list of everything. They have survivors, people who went to the festival, people who are alive, people who have died, people who have been kidnapped, people who are mentally scarred like my sister and who can help. I know all the people who needed it. They didn’t take proactive steps to help.”
Golan said she hopes government agencies will act more proactively in the wake of her sister's death.
“PTSD is not just an Israeli problem,” he says. “The problem is global and we need to take a stand.”
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■ Israel’s retaliation for Iran’s missile barrage three weeks ago is likely only a symbolic “limited attack,” Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Mohammad Ali Jafari told Iranian Student News Network. spoke. Israel has warned of serious retaliation.
∎ Seven East Jerusalem residents were arrested on suspicion of planning attacks on Israel, including the assassination of an Israeli nuclear scientist and a mayor in central Israel. Police said the suspects, all aged between 19 and 23, were scouted by Iranian operatives.
Blinken and Netanyahu meet in Jerusalem
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to use the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to end the Gaza conflict and release hostages held by Hamas, according to the State Department. I asked them to make sure. Blinken, who met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, also emphasized the need for Israel to step up humanitarian assistance to Gaza, the ministry said in a statement after the Jerusalem meeting.
The Biden administration has repeatedly expressed hope that the death of Shinwar, who was killed by Israeli forces last week, will help facilitate a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of more than 100 Israeli hostages held there. Ta. But Hamas has refused to release any more hostages until Israeli forces withdraw from the destroyed enclave.
The leaders discussed post-war Gaza, and Blinken said: “We will enable Palestinians to rebuild their lives and provide governance, security and reconstruction.”
UN condemns Israel over hospital strike
The United Nations human rights chief said he was “appalled” by the deadly Israeli attack near a Beirut hospital late Monday and called for a “prompt and thorough investigation.” Lebanese officials said the attack killed at least 18 people, including four children, and injured 60 others.
“We are appalled by the Israeli military attack near Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut’s densely populated Juna district,” Volker Turk said in a statement. “Fundamental principles of international humanitarian law regarding the protection of civilians must be respected.”
The Israeli military said Tuesday that its fighter jets struck a Hezbollah target near a hospital late Monday, but did not directly hit the hospital. The hospital’s director, Jihad Saadeh, said the hospital had been damaged. “We don’t know if it was targeted, but there are no red lines in Israel that should be crossed.”
Israel targets Hezbollah bunker with hundreds of millions in cash and gold
The Israeli military said one of Hezbollah’s financial targets attacked this week was a bunker containing tens of millions of dollars in cash and gold. Spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari did not say whether any funds were seized or destroyed in the attack.
“One of the main targets last night was an underground safe. The funds were being used to finance Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel,” Hagari said at a news conference.
Hagari also said that another bunker filled with cash and gold was located beneath a hospital in Beirut, but said the safe had not yet been targeted.
“According to our estimates, this bunker holds at least $500 million in dollar bills and gold,” Hagari said. “This money could and still can be used to rebuild the Lebanese state.”
UN agency calls for truce to treat wounded
The United Nations Palestinian Refugee Agency on Tuesday announced a temporary ceasefire to allow people to leave the northern Gaza Strip, as health officials said they were running out of supplies to treat patients injured in three weeks of Israeli attacks. I asked for Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA’s relief agency, said the humanitarian situation had reached a dire state, with bodies abandoned on roadsides or buried under rubble.
“In northern Gaza, people are just waiting to die. They feel abandoned, hopeless and alone,” he said in a statement on social media X.
“I call for an immediate ceasefire to ensure that families who wish to leave the area and go to safer places, even for a few hours, can do so safely and humanely,” he said. .
Contributed by: Reuters
If you or someone you know is in need of mental health resources or support, call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org, free 24/7 Access our confidential services.