'Daddy, there is nowhere to hide': Grieving father reveals haunting last moments of daughter murdered by Hamas terrorists at Supernova festival whose body was identified by flower tattoo

The moment Eran Litman last communicated with his daughter Oriya – 8.36am – will forever be etched in his brain.

The 59-year-old software engineer had been woken up a few hours earlier by his older daughter, Yahali. When she hadn't been able to get through to her father, who was asleep, Oriya had frantically called her sister, telling her that she was in danger.

Yahali immediately phoned their father and broke the news that her sister was caught up in a terrorist attack.

Oriya, 26, was one of 3,500 revellers at the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re'im in southern Israel when thousands of Hamas terrorists launched a surprise attack on the country in the early hours of October 7, murdering 1,200 people.

The rampage at the festival left 360 innocent people dead.

The moment Eran Litman last communicated with his daughter Oriya – 8.36am – will forever be etched in his brain

Oriya pictured with her father during a skiing holiday in Georgia in 2023. She was one of 3,500 revellers at the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re'im in southern Israel when thousands of Hamas terrorists launched a surprise attack

Eran, who is in London for work when we speak, is softly spoken with a kind face. His face lights up when he tells me about Oriya's childhood: their fond memories skiing, camping by the sea every summer and going on safari in Tanzania.

'She was a terrible teenager,' he laughs. 'All the white hairs on my head are because of her. She loved parties.'

Father and daughter enjoyed a close relationship and would regularly meet for Friday night dinners. 'My cooking improved because of her,' he smiles.

But look into his eyes and it's clear that he's a broken man.

Eran doesn't blame the police or the army for what happened that day. 'No death or revenge will bring Oriya back,' he says.

He is, however, more critical of Israel's government. Eran is part of a campaign group, Families of October 7, who have been demanding answers on how the attack happened, as well as better assistance for the bereaved.

They have also called for the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose popularity has dropped markedly since the war broke out.

'We've told the government to take responsibility for what happened. We don't trust them,' he says. 'I just want a new government that will work for the Israeli people. My dream is to make peace with our Arab neighbours. This government can't do it. We don't want another blitz against Israel.' 

'I called Oriya on WhatsApp. Her first words to me were: "Daddy, you can't imagine how much I love you. I love you so much"

Eran doesn't blame the police or the army for what happened that day. 'No death or revenge will bring Oriya back,' he says

Oriya (pictured on a skiing holiday in 2023) and her two friends, brother and sister Sharon and Schahar Manzur, were in a car, having managed to escape the gunmen at the festival

He cries as he recalls that final conversation with the youngest of his three daughters, who sported long, colourful nails, with dreams of becoming a manicurist.

'I called Oriya on WhatsApp. Her first words to me were: "Daddy, you can't imagine how much I love you. I love you so much. You don't know how sorry I am that I couldn't meet you yesterday for coffee".'

Oriya and her two friends, brother and sister Sharon and Schahar Manzur, were in a car, having managed to escape the gunmen at the festival. They were desperately trying to seek sanctuary at Kibbutz Mefalsim, near the Gaza border.

Just 500 yards from the kibbutz gates, their car flipped over after being shot at by terrorists wearing Israeli police uniforms. Schahar was dying in Oriya's arms. Sharon had called her brother in desperation, but he was killed by the terrorists on his way to try to rescue her.

'At first I thought Oriya was on drugs, because who can believe this sort of talk in the morning?' says Eran.

'I was on the phone to her and called the police at the same time, trying to get them help. She said to me: "Daddy, there is nowhere to hide".

'I said to her: "Do not talk to anyone, save your phone battery and go to hide".'

With gunshots getting louder in the background, Oriya must have known the terrorists were close by. Perhaps it was at that point that she realised what horrific fate would befall her. 

In grim anticipation, she started messaging her loved ones: her big sisters Lia and Yahali, and her boyfriend Yishai.

'She wrote to her sister: "You're everything to me, goodbye". She said to me: "Do not come here, they will kill you". She was very brave for telling me not to come. She was so calm.'

The memory is too much for Eran, who again breaks down in tears. After taking a minute to compose himself, he adds: 'It's a horrifying feeling, to see terrorists coming to you with guns, to not know if you're going to be killed, raped or to be taken as a hostage. It's terrible to die like this.'

Oriya was last active on her phone at 8.45am. Her family hoped - prayed - that she had been taken hostage, and they would be reunited with her one day

The memory of Oriya's last moments were too much for Eran as he broke down in tears: 'It's a horrifying feeling, to see terrorists coming to you with guns'

Oriya's body was found underneath a eucalyptus tree. She had been shot in the stomach. Her father has since visited the spot (pictured)

Eran near the tree where his daughter's body was found. She was identified by her distinctive flower tattoo on her abdomen 

The area is now full of foliage and no longer as barren as it was back in October. 'If that attack had happened now, five months later, [the people escaping the terrorists] would have had somewhere to hide,' Eran says

When Hamas unleashed unspeakable horror on Israel, they snatched 240 hostages and took them to the Gaza Strip. About 130 are still being held, but it is thought that perhaps 30 of them are dead.

Oriya was last active on her phone at 8.45am. Her family hoped - prayed - that she had been taken hostage, and they would be reunited with her one day.

On October 10, Oriya's boyfriend Yishai went to the site of the attack. There were several bodies lying under a eucalyptus tree, many unrecognisable.

Yishai identified her by the distinctive flower tattoo on her abdomen. She had been shot in the stomach.

Eran has since visited that spot, now full of foliage and no longer as barren as it was back in October. 'If that attack had happened now, five months later, [the people escaping the terrorists] would have had somewhere to hide,' he says.

Oriya was buried on October 15 in Caesarea, a northern town on Israel's Mediterranean coast.

'One of my daughters just doesn't function anymore,' says Eran. 'She can't even cook for herself. She doesn't even go to the supermarket. We're all living in trauma. I went to sleep one person on October 6 and woke up a different person on the morning of October 7.'

Attempts to broker a ceasefire are ongoing, though peace still seems a long way off. Any deal for a pause in the fighting would see Hamas freeing some Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Eran, meanwhile, is remaining optimistic. 'I really hope the hostages will return. It will let us breathe again.

'Right now, we're living in dark times. We just want a normal like you have in London. We want our hostages back.'