October 14th 2023.
Mor Gabay was a 30-year-old singer-songwriter from Be’er Sheva whose life was tragically cut short in a Hamas attack on Zikim beach. Two of her friends, Ariel Ein-Gal and Ahiad Ben-Yitzchak, remembered her as a ‘pure heart’ with an unwavering kindness.
Mor had spent the night with friends from the Mileva pub in Be’er Sheva, camping out on the sands near the Gaza Strip. She left the party 10 minutes before the rest of the group heard explosions marking the start of the attack. When her friends were later unable to find her, they discovered her bullet-riddled car in the middle of a nearby road and were informed that a policeman had taken her body.
Ariel and Ahiad, both from Be’er Sheva, had been with Mor on that fateful night and managed to escape by breaking out of the resort area in three cars while under fire from the Hamas gunmen. Ahiad was injured in the leg, but they made it to safety.
Ariel and Ahiad wrote a tribute remembering her for her kindness and vowing to avenge her death. They said: “Mor was a kind person. She was everyone’s mother; from making food in our pub for every customer and worker to food for her students and neighbours after finishing nine-hour shifts. She was an artist, she wrote songs and poems and dreamt of publishing a poetry book. She had about 10 dogs in her house, each one was loved by her equally and she still had so much love inside her for everyone else. She was our dearest friend, you could tell her anything and she always listened and replied with kindness, not judgment.”
Mor had a passion for cooking and was known for her generosity even after working long shifts at a bar. Her friends also spoke of her optimism and courage, despite her cancer diagnosis. Ahiad remembered her fondly, saying: “Mor had a pure heart and I will never forget the first thing she told me when I met her on a shift: ‘Wow man you have such beautiful eyes, my name is Mor, how are you?’ She had the nicest smile and always had the nicest things to say to people. She made you feel special and wanted.”
Mor's death has been mourned by Israeli singer Ziv Na’aman, who covered one of her songs. The lyrics of this song poignantly reflect on the tragedy of her death: ‘I didn’t choose the way, I didn’t know the roads, yet, I always knew, if we fall we will stand again.’
The attack on Zikim beach was one of many incidents of violence in the region over the past few weeks, with the Israeli military reporting more than 1,300 people killed in the country and the Gaza Ministry of Health saying more than 1,500 people have been killed in Jerusalem’s retaliatory strikes.
Mor Gabay’s life was taken too soon, but her friends will never forget her kindness and her courage. They have vowed to avenge her death, and will make sure that her spirit lives on.
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