Hamas kills 12-year-old Israeli autistic girl, whose picture JK Rowling had shared

The body of 12-year-old Israeli girl with autism, who was initially believed to have been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, has been found. Noya Dan and her 80-year-old grandmother were allegedly kidnapped by Hamas earlier this month. Both have now been killed by the Palestinian terror group. They both went missing when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7. The report of their death was confirmed by Noya’s family on Facebook and later Israeli minister of foreign affairs also gave confirmation. A report by DailyMail quoted Israeli news sources saying the bodies of Noya and her grandmother were found burned near the Israel-Gaza border fence by workers for ZAKA Search and Rescue. There are also reports saying that three more members of Noya’s family are said to be missing. Noya was a fan of Harry Potter. Her disappearance prompted author of the fiction, JK Rowling condemn the Hamas attacks as well as kidnapping of children. Harry Potter author JK Rowling Tuesday shared a picture on X, formerly Twitter, of Noya donning a Harry Potter costume with the caption: “Kidnapping children is despicable and wholly unjustifiable. For obvious reasons, this picture has hit home with me. May Noya and all hostages taken by Hamas be returned soon, safely, to their families.” In the photograph shared by Rowling, Noya could be seen grinning, wearing clothes resembling the Hogwarts school uniform and the iconic red and yellow Gryffindor tie.

Kidnapping children is despicable and wholly unjustifiable. For obvious reasons, this picture has hit home with me. May Noya and all hostages taken by Hamas be returned soon, safely, to their families. https://t.co/YIbf3egib4

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 16, 2023

It appeared that she was dressed as one of the main characters - Hermione Granger - and was also holding a Hebrew copy of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, the fifth book in the series. She could also been seen holding a wand. On Sunday, Israel too shared Noya’s picture on its on its X account, saying: “This beautiful 12 year old girl with autism was kidnapped from her home by Hamas terrorists and was taken to Gaza. Noya is sensitive, kind, funny and a massive Harry Potter fan.” The State of Israel’s official X account also urged Rowling to share Noya’s story in the hopes of “bringing her home” According to Israeli authorities, the terrorists have kidnapped at least 203 others, including children, and took them into the Gaza Strip to be held as hostages. Noya had been staying with her grandmother when they were taken prisoner in Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the several Israeli communities, that were attacked by Hamas 13 days ago. With inputs from agencies