A family destroyed by inhuman monsters: Inside the Israel home where a Bristol-born mother was killed alongside her daughter, 13, and 2 others were ‘snatched’ by sadistic Hamas thugs
With its HP sauce and bottle of ‘Nurofen for children’, the signs that this is a British family’s home are obvious.
But theirs is a house of horror, covered with blood, smashed up furniture and a dead pet dog rotting in the living room.
Mother Lianne Sharabi, born in Bristol, was slaughtered here.
Her mischievous 13-year-old daughter Yahel, described as ‘a bundle of unbridled energy and joy’, was also murdered.
And in a fate some believe is almost as hideous as death itself, the father, Eli, and 16-year-old daughter Noiya are feared to have been abducted by sadistic thugs and taken back to Gaza.
Mother Lianne Sharabi and her 13-year-old daughter Yahel, described as ‘a bundle of unbridled energy and joy’, were murdered, while her 16-year-old daughter Noiya is feared to have been abducted
To her family’s anguish, she is now presumed to be among the lost daughters held by armed Hamas savages.
In the massacre known as ‘Israel’s 9-11’, this particular event happened in kibbutz Be’eri, a mile or two from the Gaza border.
It is a rural commune where the Sharabi family lived a simple, idyllic lifestyle, but the chaos and terror that gripped their leafy cul-de-sac in the Kerem – ‘grape vine’ – neighbourhood on October 7 is plain to see.
Yesterday I crunched over the broken glass carpeting the family’s home that was once filled with laughter and joy, but is now despoiled by pools of blood and the horrible stench of death in the air.
The family’s bloodsoaked pet dog Moka is still sprawled lifeless on the living room floor. The dishwasher is half emptied, and there are dirty dishes in the sink.
A blood-spattered kitchen cupboard door lies open, with HP sauce in pride of place on the front rack. Along a ground-floor corridor, a sturdy metal door appears to be the ‘safe room’, which most Israeli homes have to protect against attack.
This one is decorated on the inside with family photographs showing smiles, party balloons and grinning selfies from happier times.
But gaze down, and an enormous pool of blood stains the floor and walls. Was this the spot where Mrs Sharabi made a brave last stand as her motherly instincts blindly forced her into battle with the armed thugs trying to snatch her children?
In the massacre known as ‘Israel’s 9-11’, this particular event happened in kibbutz Be’eri, a mile or two from the Gaza border
The Sharabis, who are said to have visited the UK at least once a year, were all sheltering in the safe room when the terrorists broke in, according to relatives
This is a house of horror, covered with blood, smashed up furniture and a dead pet dog rotting in the living room
A pool of blood lies next to a child’s wooden bed. It appears to be where ‘happy, friendly’ 13-year-old Yahel was mortally wounded, in circumstances too distressing to imagine
Another pool of blood lies in the room nearby – adjacent to a child’s wooden bed. It appears to be where ‘happy, friendly’ 13-year-old Yahel was mortally wounded, in circumstances too distressing to imagine. Amid the confusion of the massacre in Be’eri, the family at first feared she had been kidnapped along with her sister.
It is unclear where her body was found, but yesterday the family were told the numbing news that the teenager is dead.
Last night her uncle Sharon Sharabi, an IT procurement manager, sobbed: ‘Our suffering could not be worse than this – my heart is broken. She was a British citizen and loved life so much. I went to her mum’s wedding in Bristol and it was a wonderful day.
‘But now Yahel and her mother are both dead and her father and sister are missing or kidnapped. Our family has been destroyed by inhumans with no souls.’
He said: ‘Yahel was a wonderful, happy, friendly little girl who didn’t understand all the hate surrounding us and wanted everyone to live happily together.
‘She was also very funny with a great sense of humour and loved to make us laugh.’
A blood-spattered kitchen cupboard door lies open, with HP sauce in pride of place on the front rack
The dishwasher is half emptied, and there are dirty dishes in the sink of the family home
With its HP sauce and bottle of ‘Nurofen for children’, the signs that this is a British family’s home are obvious
Mr Sharabi added: ‘I’m still in shock after hearing Yahel has been identified among the dead and her big sister is missing and we have no idea whether she is alive, dead or a hostage in Gaza.
‘I pray for a miracle but I have to say part of me thinks it’s better to be dead than in the hands of these people.’ The British sisters and their father have not been heard from since black-clad Hamas gunmen wielding assault rifles and hand grenades went on the rampage in their small kibbutz looking for Israeli families to slaughter or kidnap.
The Sharabis, who are said to have visited the UK at least once a year, were all sheltering in the safe room when the terrorists broke in, according to relatives.
Somerset-born Lianne, who first moved to Israel as a kibbutz volunteer when she was 19, lived ‘a beautiful life and will be sorely missed by the heartbroken family and friends she leaves behind’, her loved ones said in a statement.
And in a tribute to Yahel, the grief-stricken family said: ‘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 Sharabis, who are said to have visited the UK at least once a year, were all sheltering in the safe room when the terrorists broke in, according to relatives
Family photographs showing smiles, party balloons and grinning selfies from happier time
For Lianne and Yahel, at least, they can now grieve.
But for missing Eli and Noiya – along with another uncle, Yossi, 53, also kidnapped and taken to Gaza – there is only the lurking sense of dread.
Raz Matalon, an uncle of the girls, told how the horror unfolded at kibbutz Be’eri, where 108 perished. He said: ‘Early on Saturday morning when Hamas fired all the missiles at Israel we called Eli and Lianne. Lianne told us this was not like a usual missile attack.
‘It was different. She said she had heard shooting and hand grenades exploding and that the noise of gunfire was getting closer. Then she said: ‘We have to be quiet because they are near’.’
In harrowing final messages, Lianne sent a panicked text to her sister-in-law saying she could hear members of the terrorist group ‘shooting and shouting ‘Die Israel’.’ The girl’s aunt, Nira Sharabi, said: ‘The last contact I had with Lianne and the girls was at about 11am on Saturday morning. ‘She sent me a message saying: ‘Nira, I can hear them. They are here at our house. They are shooting and shouting ‘Die Israel’. Please call for help’. I told her: ‘Be strong! I am calling for help!’ But ten minutes later I lost contact with her and the girls.
‘All we know is that the terrorists broke into their safe room. Eli had barricaded the door and was holding the handle but the terrorists managed to get it open.’ Sharon Sharabi said: ‘The last we heard from them was a text message from Eli at around 11.30am on the morning of the attacks.
‘It read something like, ‘They are shooting, they have smashed our house, they are killing children. They are going to murder us!’ I was miles away and felt awful – so powerless. I will never forget that day.’
He and brother Raz yesterday broke the news of Yahel’s death to her grandparents Peter and Gill Brisley, aged in their 70s and living in South Wales, and her brother Stephen. Sharon said: ‘We are not the kind of people who demand revenge – we don’t want more innocent people to die and we want this to stop.
‘We also don’t believe Palestinian people support this terror. But this will continue as long as Hamas is in control and we have to stop them – we have to win.’
Source: Read Full Article