The aunt of Sahar Baruch, the 25-year-old who was tragically murdered while in Hamas captivity, expressed the family's anguish upon hearing the news of his death.
Meirav Barkai told 103FM that the family has been "left in the dark regarding the circumstances of his death."
She explained that "The report we received from the IDF provided no concrete details. We know very little about what transpired after the morning of October 7.
"By noon, all contact with Sahar was lost. It took three weeks for us to receive information about his kidnapping, and even then, there was no confirmation of whether he was alive or dead."
Barkai also mentioned Sahar's brother, Idan, who tragically lost his life on the same day. "Two close and beloved brothers, always watching out for each other, and yet fate was unkind to them," she lamented. "The nightmare that Sahar endured without returning is devastating."
She added that "Our thoughts are consumed by the other abductees."
Sahar's birthday came and went while he was held hostage. "He had just registered for studies at Ben-Gurion University, but fate denied him the opportunity to attend even a single day of classes," Barkai shared.
Recounting the events leading up to the kidnapping, she explained that, "On October 7, Sahar and Idan were at their mother's house, alone together. Early in the morning, grenades were thrown into the house, and Idan was wounded by shrapnel. Sahar stayed by his brother's side throughout. They tried to barricade themselves in the bomb shelter but were unsuccessful, so they barricaded themselves inside using a dresser instead.
"The terrorists set the house ablaze, and despite recognizing the danger, [Sahar and Idan] made the brave decision to jump out," she continued. "Sahar managed to tell his mother, 'Dying in a fire is more painful.' Idan jumped first, and Sahar remained behind, searching for Idan's inhaler. We lost contact with them around noon."
A few days later, the family received confirmation of Idan's death. His body had been found with a gunshot wound to the head.
"This whole time, Sahar was considered missing. It was only about three weeks after October 7 that we received information about his kidnapping, but there were no further details available," she said. "It appears that Sahar was unaware that his grandmother had also been murdered in a separate house."