Sister of Brit feared killed during Hamas massacre along with his girlfriend says her sibling was ‘enjoying life’s simple pleasures’ before attack unfolded: ‘My heart is broken, my baby brother is gone’
- Danny Darlington and Carolin Bohl are believed to have been shot in Nir Or
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The sister of a British man feared killed during the Hamas massacre along with his girlfriend has paid tribute to her ‘baby brother’ – revealing how he was ‘enjoying life’s simple pleasures’ just hours before the brutal attack.
British photographer Danny Darlington, who lived in Berlin, and his German girlfriend Carolin Bohl are both believed to have been gunned down in Nir Or, a kibbutz in Southern Israel.
The couple were initially reported as missing and while there has not been any official confirmation of their killing, on-the-ground information from Israel provided to their families by friends has indicated that they are dead.
In a moving tribute posted on social media, accompanied by a picture of Danny, his heartbroken sister Shelley wrote: ‘My heart is broken. My baby brother is gone.’
Thanking people for their messages of support, she continued: ‘Knowing how many people loved and cared for Danny and reading your memories of him will never bring him back, but it does offer a slither of comfort to the indescribable pain I am feeling.’
A heartbreaking photograph on Instagram shows British photographer Danny Darlington (left) and his partner Carolin Bohl (right) laughing shortly before they vanished during the Hamas massacre
Thanking people for their messages of support, Danny’s sister Shelley (pictured) posted: ‘Knowing how many people loved and cared for Danny and reading your memories of him will never bring him back, but it does offer a slither of comfort to the indescribable pain I am feeling’
Shelley revealed that Danny was supposed to have left for Tel Aviv a day before the attack but decided to stay so that he could explore the kibbutz with Carolin.
She wrote: ‘My baby brother, Dan, was murdered by terrorists on Saturday morning on our kibbutz., Nir Oz, alongside his beautiful friend Carolin. Only days before he was riding his bike, laughing, taking photographs of sunsets and enjoying life’s simple pleasures in our beautiful kibbutz.
‘He was meant to leave for Tel Aviv the night before but decided to stay one more day to explore the kibbutz with his friend-a decision that has irrevocably changed all our lives forever, and one that cost him his life.’
Recalling the impact of the attack she wrote: ‘Our community has been destroyed.’
Mr Darlington has not been heard from since hiding out in a bunker in Nir Or, a kibbutz in Southern Israel, with family and friends receiving information of his death
Ms Bohl’s devastated sister posted on Instagram claiming the family learned the news of the couple’s death from a friend ‘on the ground’ in Israel
Ms Bohl’s brother-in law Sam Pasquesi also posted on Instagram to share the news of the tragedy
Shelley revealed that her family are in contact with Israeli officials to try and recover Danny’s body and bring him back to the UK.
Signing off her post, she wrote: ‘I am broken.’
Heartbreaking photographs on Instagram showed Danny and Carolin laughing together shortly before they vanished during the deadly attack on Israel.
Carolin’s devastated sister posted on Instagram claiming the family learned the news of the couple’s death from a friend ‘on the ground’ in Israel.
READ MORE: Innocent British victims of Hamas attacks: Soldier, 20, is killed in blast while photographer hiding in bunker and festival security guard, 26, from London are both missing
She wrote: ‘Today we learned from Carolin’s friend on the ground in Kibbutz Nir Oz in Israel that she and her friend Danny were killed in a terrorist attack yesterday.
‘We are broken and are working to cope with this unimaginable tragedy.
‘We send our deepest thanks to those who made such an effort today to help find her and provide information and contacts.’
She added: ‘Please give us some time and space to remember our sweet angel Caro and her beloved friend Danny.’
The photographer’s father David Darlington previously told the BBC that his son had been travelling with a German woman and that his half-sister had last spoken to him on Saturday morning.
He said: ‘The communications network is down, and we haven’t spoken to him for 24 hours.’
Carolin’s brother-in law Sam Pasquesi said his family learned late on Sunday from a man working at the kibbutz that the bodies of the two had been identified.
Sam shared on Instagram: ‘While we haven’t got official notification from the governments of Israel, Germany or UK, we have reliable information from the ground in Israel that our beloved Caro and her dear friend Danny were killed in a terrorist Hamas raid.
‘We are so thankful to family, friends, friends of friends, and strangers for the aid in providing such expedient information, press and government contacts, hopes, prayers and comfort.
‘We will now focus on coping with this tragedy and ask for some time and space to come to terms. Thank you.’
Their deaths come as hundreds remain missing in Israel following the surprise attack from the Palestinian militant group.
The death toll in the Gaza Strip rose to 560 on Monday, the health ministry in the Palestinian enclave said, as Israel pounded Hamas targets for the third consecutive day.
On the Israeli side at least 700 people have been killed, the majority slain by militants who entered Israel from Gaza by land, air and sea.
The bodies of young revellers were seen piled up on top of each other in makeshift tents last night as emergency workers tried to identify the 260 festival-goers killed at an Israeli music festival by Hamas terrorists.
People in Isreal are seen running for their lives after militants fire gunshots at a music festival
A distressing image, shared in a pixellated form on the Israeli government’s official Twitter page, showed scores of victims placed in body bags underneath a tent at a festival site
The distressing image, shared in a pixelated form on the Israeli government’s official Twitter page, showed scores of victims placed in body bags at the site of the ‘beautiful party’ that turned into a horrific massacre.
Footage from the aftermath shows empty festival tents and abandoned cars strewn frantically across the road leading to the Supernova Festival, that had been taking place near Kibbutz Re’im, close to the Gaza Strip.
Many terrified victims had fled across the sand on foot to their cars in an attempt to drive away from the horrors, only to be met with gunfire from armed gunmen piled into jeeps going ‘tree by tree’ in attempt to shoot people.
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