Aunt speaks out in honor of nephew killed at Nova Music Festival during October 7 attacks

BRYN MAWR, Pa. - It's been one year since the October 7th attacks in Israel, with solemn vigils and ceremonies happening across the world, while the fighting grinds on along several fronts.

Meanwhile, for the families who lost loved ones at Nova Festival or of those taken hostage, it's a brutal reminder of what happened one year ago today. 

FOX 29's Dawn Timmeney talked to a heartbroken Bryn Mawr woman who lost her nephew. "He was such an awesome guy. Sweet as can be and he made friends with everyone and with anyone. Brilliant kid."

Sharone Trager-Hanoch says not a day goes by that she doesn't think of her nephew Gal Navon. 

The 30-year-old who loved life, a gifted computer programmer, was killed while trying to escape the massacre at the Nova Music Festival on October 7th of last year. 

"It's just like nothing like this ever happened to us. We're just so shocked," she said.

Sharone says her nephew was with his best friend Seffi, who texted another friend their car had been hit by a missile, and they were hiding in a nearby shelter. 

"He had another text, 'Please come. If you want to save us right now. We're going to be slaughtered. We hear shots. We hear the terrorists.' He sent a picture of them with blood all over them, glass from the car," Sharone shared while showing the texts.

This was the last message after Seffi's friend texted back, "The police are coming." Sharone recounted, "He said not fast enough. I hear them. They're here. They're here...and then nothing."

Sharone says Gal means 'wave', and she and her sisters are all getting wave tattoos in his memory. "I miss him because he was such a good guy. I just want to hug him. He's my nephew, but I think the most painful part is my sister. I see her life is over. She has no joy. She can't think of anything else," she expressed painfully.

Sharone, who is a mother of five, now lives in Bryn Mawr, but she grew up in Kibbutz Gevim, just a few miles from the Gaza Strip. Her best childhood friend also losing her 30-year-old son Zeve at the Nova Fest. "If we could just go back in time not to have this party," she wished.

Wearing a "Bring Them Home" T-shirt and a necklace that reads "Our Heart Is Captured In Gaza", one year later Sharone's heart remains heavy. "You don't know what to do. There's nothing you can do. Nothing will bring him back. So you do those little things, like I wear this necklace to constantly remember," Sharone explained.

She says her sister is holding an observance for Gal in Israel on October 7th, which she'll watch on Zoom. 

Sharone is a local teacher, and she and her students plan to plant a tree at the school in memory of her beloved nephew.