NEW YORK — An Israeli mother living in New York City is mourning the loss of her daughter, one of the 260 people killed by Hamas militants at a music festival.
Hannie Ricardo flew to Israel as soon as she heard that her 26-year-old daughter Oriya was missing.
“I was still hoping that she would come back to me,” Ricardo said. “I found a message from her on WhatsApp saying, ‘Mom, I love you so much,’ and I realized that was kind of a goodbye.”
Oriya had attended the Supernova music festival on Saturday, where dozens of Israelis were said to have been killed. Ricardo said her daughter and two others got away from the concert in a car, but were eventually caught.
“The terrorists were waiting. They were like a spiderweb. They were everywhere — and they shot them,” Ricardo said. “My daughter was found yesterday by her boyfriend.
“The world lost my flower. She was an incredible incredible young lady, the most beautiful girl you can imagine,” she added.
READ MORE: Israel forms unity government as airstrikes hammer Hamas-ruled Gaza
Elad Levy is a native Israeli, but has spent much of his adult life as a New Yorker. He said his 19-year-old niece is among the many that are missing. She was in a building that was burned down by Hamas.
“We know that at least one or two is confirmed dead, and a few others, among them Roni, are missing. Not a trace,” Levy said. “You don’t know. Is she wounded? Is she hurt? How did they treat her?”
Ricardo called the Hamas militants “monsters” for what they’ve done, not just to her daughter but to her people.
“Believe me, I am no great fan of the government, but I am a supporter of my country and my army,” she said. “All the world should know that Israel is the good guy in this story.”
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