Shirel Golan survived the Nova festival attack. A year later, she took her life
Editor’s note: This story contains details of suicide and violence that some readers may find upsetting.
More than a year after Hamas and other armed groups launched their attack on Israel, Shirel Golan became their latest victim. She died by suicide on Sunday, the day she turned 22, after a year-long struggle with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Shirel’s brother Eyal Golan told CNN her health problems began immediately after the October 7 attack. She was attending the Nova Music Festival near the border with Gaza when Hamas led its deadly rampage on southern Israel.
Once a happy woman who wouldn’t hesitate to drive for an hour to visit her family when they needed help, Shirel became quiet, slowly fading away after surviving the massacre.
“She didn’t come out from the house. She didn’t come to visit us, she was withdrawn,” he said.
Speaking to CNN after Shirel’s funeral on Monday, Eyal said Shirel’s family had worried about her health and tried to keep an eye on her as much as they could. She was rarely left on her own, he said.
But as the family gathered to celebrate her birthday, Shirel wandered off without anyone noticing, according to Eyal. By the time her boyfriend found her at the bottom of the garden, she was gone.
Heartbroken and overwhelmed with guilt and anger, Eyal said he blames the Israeli health authorities for some of Shirel’s problems. He said no one from the government ever reached out to her or the family. Instead, he said, the authorities only offered help to those who actively sought it.
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Help is available if you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters. In the US: Call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Globally: The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide have contact information for crisis centers around the world.
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