Israel-Gaza War: 12-Year-Old ‘Harry Potter’ Fan Whose Story JK Rowling Posted Found Dead, Israel Confirms

12-year-old Israeli girl whose plight was made famous when Harry Potter author JK Rowling posted about her was killed in the Hamas attack, the Israeli government confirmed on Wednesday. Noya Dan and her 80-year-old grandmother were allegedly kidnapped by Hamas operatives earlier this month. The Israeli government shared her picture dressed in a costume similar to the characters from the Harry Potter series and described her as “sensitive, kind and funny”. They sought the world’s help to release the autistic girl from the captivity of Hamas, following which Ms Rowling reshared the post and strongly condemned the Palestinian group. 

Now, the Israeli government today confirmed that the 12-year-old with autism was killed alongside her grandmother Carmela. “We are devastated to announce that Noya and her grandmother Carmela’s bodies were discovered yesterday. Thank you to all of you who shared her story to help us bring her home. Our hearts are broken,” they wrote on X (formerly Twitter). 

We are devastated to announce that Noya and her grandmother Carmela’s bodies were discovered yesterday.

Thank you to all of you who shared her story to help us bring her home.

Our hearts are broken 💔. https://t.co/1I9r4fibsP

— Israel ישראל 🇮🇱 (@Israel) October 19, 2023

Noya, who was a fan of Harry Potter, was a bright young girl on the autism spectrum, sensitive to noise, light and touch, The Hill reported. She and her grandmother were kidnapped on October 7 along with three other relatives from a Jewish settlement. The 12-year-old was visiting her grandmother, who had been living in Kibbutz Nir Oz, near Israel’s border with Gaza. 

She was described as “sensitive, kind, funny and a massive Harry Potter fan” as Israel’s official X asked JK Rowling to help get her story out. They also shared a photo of the 12-year-old on the platform, in which she was seen wearing a grey jumper and Gryffindor-style tie as she held a wand and clutched a Hebrew copy of Harry Potter.

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Her disappearance then prompted JK Rowling to condemn the Hamas attacks as well as the kidnapping of children.  “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,” Ms Rowling wrote in response to the Israeli government’s post. 

It is believed that there are still three more members of the Dan family missing. Hamas is feared to have captured some 200 people as hostages. Additionally, over 1,400 people in Israel lost their lives during Hamas’ attack on October 7.