THE six-year-old sister of Matilda, the youngest victim of Sunday’s Bondi Beach massacre, asked a heartbreaking question as she was taken from the beach.
Matilda, aged just 10, was the youngest victim of the shooting in Sydney, Australiawhich targeted Jewish families celebrating Hanukkah.
Matilda and six-year-old Summer were celebrating the Jewish festival with their parents Valentina and Michael when the massacre began.
Fifteen people were killed in the attack which also left 42 people injured.
The suspected shooters have been named as Naveed Akram, 24, and his dad Sajid, 50.
Matilda, the youngest victim, died in hospital from gunshot wounds.
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Her sister Summer was uninjured and was quickly taken away from the scene, but she watched her sister get shot in the stomach.
According to Lina, the girls’ aunt, Summer asked repeatedly: “Is my sister dead?”
Lina told the Daily Mail that the family thought Matilda had been shot in the leg at first – and they were expecting her to survive.
Lina said: “I thought she might lose her leg, people can live without legs and I thought I’d push her around in a wheelchair if she needed – whatever happened, we’d look after her.”
Lina said she couldn’t stop screaming when Matilda’s mother to tell her that the 10-year-old had died in hospital.
She was so shocked she couldn’t even comprehend the information, Lina added.
She said: “I asked her to tell me again and again, and I was saying ‘it can’t be, it’s not real.’
“I still can’t believe it’s real – I’m hoping I will wake up and someone will tell me it isn’t true.”
A fundraiser posted on Gofundme has raised over £180,000 for Matilda’s family.
It was set up by by Matilda’s teacher Irina Goodhew, who described her as as a “bright, joyful, and spirited child”.
The 10-year-old’s aunt, Lina, confirmed the heartbreaking news in a social media post.
She wrote: “A great tragedy has happened to my family. Yesterday my beloved niece Matilda was killed during a terrorist attack in Bondi Beach.
“I don’t know how we survive such grief.”
Other victims of the attack include Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, who leaves behind five children – His youngest son was only born in October this year.
His cousin Rabbi Zalman Lewis described him as a “truly an incredible guy”.
Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman was killed while protecting his wife of 57 years, Larisa.
New South Wales premier Chris Minns said the victims are aged between 10 and 87 years old.
Five people are still fighting for their lives, police confirmed.