The death has been confirmed of Kim Damti, the 22-year-old Irish-Israeli woman who had been missing since a Hamas attack on an outdoor music festival at the weekend in Israel, near the Gaza border.
Ms Damti, who lived in the Israeli town of Gedera but had often spent summer holidays in Ireland, had been among the scores of young people missing following the attack by Hamas militants.
President Michael D Higgins extended his condolences to Ms Damti’s family on Wednesday night.
“The circumstances in which her life was taken, having travelled as she did to attend a music festival, are truly appalling,” he said in a statement.
“It is not only those of us who are parents, but all of those who feel that young people should be free to attend events with their peers in conditions of safety, who will find such circumstances where a young life is taken so appalling.”
President Higgins said Ms Damti’s death was a reminder that the targeting of civilians was an “outrageous breach of fundamental international law”.
In a post on Facebook earlier on Wednesday evening, Ms Damti’s sister Laura Damti said it was with “great sorrow” that she had learned her sister had died.
She described her sister as “our angel, our flower”, who she said had been “murdered” by “terrorists”.
In a statement to RTÉ news confirming her death, Ms Damti’s aunt Pat Cooper, from Portlaoise, thanked those who supported the family “with love and encouragement” over the past five days.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin confirmed the death of the young woman, which he said came with a sense of “immense sadness”.
“When news reached us over the weekend that an Irish citizen was one of the many hundreds missing after the repugnant terrorist attack by Hamas in Israel, we hoped against hope that she would be found safely. The news that this hope has now been extinguished is devastating,” he said.
“Anyone looking at the photo of Kim in the media over the last few days will have been struck by the radiance and energy in her expression; a young 22 year old woman with a whole life ahead of her, full of promise,” he said.
Mr Martin said on behalf of the Government he wished to “convey our heartfelt condolences to Kim’s family in Ireland and in Israel”.
“We are with them in their grief. I spoke with Kim’s family earlier this evening and expressed this to them,” he said.
“Our thoughts remain with all the families of those who have died, who are injured or who are missing in the wake of these terrible events,” he said.
[ Israel tightens Gaza siege and forms national unity governmentOpens in new window ]
Ms Damti was attending an all-night outdoor music festival with hundreds of others close to the Gaza border when the gathering was hit by a rocket barrage on Saturday morning, following which the festival was attacked by Hamas gunmen, killing more than 200 people.
Ms Damti was one of five siblings and her funeral is due to take place in Gedera on Thursday.
In a statement, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the nation was “united in mourning” for Ms Damti.
[ ‘Nothing is normal any more’: War with Hamas reshapes life in IsraelOpens in new window ]
“This vibrant young Irish-Israeli woman was struck down in her prime, with her adult life ahead of her. Her death, and the deaths of more than a thousand other citizens of Israel and from around the world, was senseless and barbaric,” he said.
“Kim gave happiness and joy to her family and those around her. As we learn of her death, we pause to think of her, her family in Israel and Ireland and of all those now grieving in countless other nations,” he said.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald issued a tribute on X, formerly Twitter, saying: “Thoughts and prayers with the family and friends of Kim Damti as they endure the heartbreak of the loss of her young precious life. A trauma that should not be inflicted on any family. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.”
Speaking in recent days when her daughter’s whereabouts were unknown, her mother Jennifer Damti, from Portlaoise, described her daughter as a “brilliant kid”, who had just been at a rave with others “trying to have fun”.
Some 1,200 people were killed and 2,700 wounded when Hamas militants breached a border fence around Gaza to attack neighbouring communities in Israel, leading Israel to declare war on the militant group based in Gaza.
Retaliatory strikes on the Gaza Strip have killed 1,100 people and wounded 5,339, according to Palestinian officials.
Family and friends of Ms Damti were in attendance at a vigil at the Israeli embassy in Dublin on Tuesday.
Kelly Devine (34) held a picture of Ms Damti, a family friend, aloft, while others stood wrapped in Israeli flags or holding candles. “We’re keeping our hopes up. We’re hopeful she’ll come home to us,” she said.
