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Hadar Choshen, 27, went missing on October 7, the day Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and taking more than 200 hostages.
An IT engineer from the city of Petach Tikva near Tel Aviv, Ms Choshen was at the Supernova music festival in Kibbutz Re’im near the Gaza border when the militants attacked.
More than 260 bodies were later recovered from the site, according to rescue agencies.
Ms Choshen’s parents were hoping for a miracle, that their daughter would still be alive somewhere in Gaza, but three weeks later, they received the dreaded news.
“A week ago, we were informed by Israeli authorities that Hadar is among those killed. They identified her dead body. They retrieved a pair of earrings from her and handed it over to us, ” her aunt, Yifat, told The National.
After their disappearance at the music festival, many Israeli families have found a sense of closure in knowing what had happened to their loved ones.
The Hamas attack has led to the Israeli bombardment on Gaza, now in its fourth week.
The Palestinian death toll is more than 9,500 as Israel continues an aggressive military campaign by air and land.
Israeli authorities say that forensic experts and doctors are struggling to identify bodies of victims, resorting to dental records and genetic testing to identify bodies in many cases, such as Ms Choshen.
“They had to conduct a DNA test to identify her body. It has been weeks and we were told that her body was disfigured beyond recognition,” her aunt said.
According to the family, the victim was shot several times inside a shelter at a bus stop where she and several others were sheltering.
“They hunted them down. They shot at them and threw grenades inside the shelter where about 30 people had crammed in to hide,” she added.
We knew the worst could have happened to her. But we did not want to believe it. Our family is devastated. My sister, who is a widow, is inconsolable. But at least, we have a closure. We can mourn
Yifat,
relative of Israeli victim
“We knew the worst could have happened to her. But we did not want to believe it. Our family is devastated. My sister, who is a widow, is inconsolable. But at least we have closure. We can mourn.”
Another Israeli family was informed that the body of 22-year-old Noa, who also went missing in the violence, had been identified.
“We received the bad news 10 days ago. They found my sister’s body from the music festival venue,” said her brother, who asked not to be identified.
“The funeral was two weeks ago. There is some solace that her body was recovered. We can at least grieve. We know what happened to her now,” he said.
Noa’s family had received a WhatsApp message from her saying that she was at a “safe house” soon after Hamas ambushed the music festival.
“That was around 7am. We never heard from her after that. Later, we heard from two of her friends who survived the attack, that she and some other people were hiding in a shelter that was attacked by Hamas.
“But as we came to know that several hundreds were kidnapped, we had some hope.”
Her brother said that it was perhaps better that she did not end up as a hostage.
Even as the Israeli army is pushing into parts of Gaza in what it says is an attempt to defeat Hamas and free the hostages, many fear the ground operations will further endanger the lives of their family members.
Early last week, Shani Louk, 22, a German-Israeli woman who was kidnapped and taken into the Gaza Strip on October 7, was confirmed dead.
Her family was later informed that volunteers had found some of her remains. She was declared dead, but her body is in Gaza.
“She is dead, we know she didn’t suffer, we also know a minute before the murderers came, she was dancing, she was happy, she prayed, she went wild, with all her friends around her, and she had fun,” Nissim Louk, the woman's father, told Channel 13 after she was declared dead.
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9.30pm: Ras Al Khaimah - Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm: Fujairah - Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,200m
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
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Available: Now
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
