Israel-Gaza War: 12-Year-Old 'Harry Potter' Fan Whose Story JK Rowling Posted Found Dead, Israel Confirms

Noya Dan and her 80-year-old grandmother were allegedly kidnapped by Hamas operatives on October 7 along with three other relatives from a Jewish settlement.

12-year-old Israeli girl whose plight was made famous when Harry Potter author JK Rowling posted about her was killed in the Hamas attack, the Israeli government confirmed on Wednesday. Noya Dan and her 80-year-old grandmother were allegedly kidnapped by Hamas operatives earlier this month. The Israeli government shared her picture dressed in a costume similar to the characters from the Harry Potter series and described her as "sensitive, kind and funny". They sought the world's help to release the autistic girl from the captivity of Hamas, following which Ms Rowling reshared the post and strongly condemned the Palestinian group.  We are devastated to announce that Noya and her grandmother Carmela's bodies were discovered yesterday.Thank you to all of you who shared her story to help us bring her home.Our hearts are broken 💔. https://t.co/1I9r4fibsP

Now, the Israeli government today confirmed that the 12-year-old with autism was killed alongside her grandmother Carmela. "We are devastated to announce that Noya and her grandmother Carmela's bodies were discovered yesterday. Thank you to all of you who shared her story to help us bring her home. Our hearts are broken," they wrote on X (formerly Twitter). 

Noya, who was a fan of Harry Potter, was a bright young girl on the autism spectrum, sensitive to noise, light and touch, The Hill reported. She and her grandmother were kidnapped on October 7 along with three other relatives from a Jewish settlement. The 12-year-old was visiting her grandmother, who had been living in Kibbutz Nir Oz, near Israel's border with Gaza.