Hodaya David

The David sisters, Hodaya, 26, and Tair, 23, from Beit Dagan, were murdered by Hamas terrorists at the Supernova music festival on October 7.

Their father, Uri, said he spent 30 minutes on the phone with them early Saturday morning as he heard volleys of gunfire nearby, instructing them to lie on the ground and breathe as they held hands. The line was cut, and he never heard from them again.

For a week he searched desperately for any information until two officers showed up at his home to tell him the bad news. Their deaths had been confirmed via DNA, he said, and they refused to let him or any other family members see the bodies: “They told me it was better for me to remember them how they were,” he told reporters.

The sisters were buried in Beit Dagan on October 14.

They are survived by their parents, Uri and Edna, sister Liza and brother Eden.

Hodaya, a pilates instructor, was about to turn 27 and had planned to spend her birthday in the Sinai Desert. Tair had just begun her studies a few weeks before she was killed and was working as a waitress.

At their funeral, sister Liza said: “I wrote to both of you how proud I was of you when each of you found your way in life. I wanted to go together and celebrate every turning point in life, but monsters trampled on those dreams. How did our lives turn upside down? It’s not fair that everything was cut short.”

On Instagram, Liza described Tair “as just like her name, a child of light, with a smile that could be seen for miles and a presence that is hard to hide. You brought so much pleasure into the house, Mom always said that you raised yourself because you were so easy. The most social girl, who got along with everyone everywhere, took everything lightly and with maturity in every situation… you were always the one to balance and calm those who were stressed.”

About Hodaya, Liza wrote: “Everywhere you went over the years, there wasn’t anyone who wasn’t drawn to you like a magnet, to your spiciness, to the fact that you knew who you were and what you were worth and didn’t compromise… you worried and cared about Mom and Dad so much, that you would call every day and ask, ‘Did you eat? Did you drink?’ You were a girl with big dreams, that you had only just started to achieve.”

Their cousin, Yosi Tal, wrote online that the two sisters “loved to travel the world and embraced life together, always creating lasting memories. They shared a love for exploration, travel and learning new cultures. They adored their family and friends and loved meeting new people.”

At their funeral, their father Uri lamented, “You left during your most beautiful time. In the past few weeks and months each of you succeeded in defining for yourself what you wanted to do in life. Mom and I saw how happy you were,” he said. “We feel guilt, perhaps we didn’t do enough to save you. Everything is in the hands of God. I know that you will be in a better place in heaven by merit, not by grace.” 
Source: The Times of Israel