Communities around the world mourned and protests erupted in Israel after the bodies of six hostages were found in the Gaza Strip, the Associated Press reported.

In Dallas, the news hit communities personally affected by the hostage killings.

LeElle Slifer, a Dallas attorney, said hearing that her second cousin, Carmel Gat, was among the dead felt “surreal.” Gat, 40, was kidnapped Oct. 7 by Hamas militants and has been in captivity since.

“Every time I hear about hostage bodies being found in Gaza, I think, ‘Please, God, let this not be Carmel,’” Slifer said.

Slifer, who grew up in Fort Worth, was born just six months after Gat. Slifer’s mother and Gat’s parents are cousins, and the family is close, she said. On family trips to Israel, Slifer remembers them staying over and playing outside together. She remembers picking grapes from Gat in Israel, making labneh together and eating fresh pita bread.

“When you’re a kid, you never think about all the evil in the world or that something like this could happen,” Slifer said.

For nearly 11 months, Slifer and her family have been waiting for Gat to be released. Since Oct. 7, more than 100 of the roughly 250 people taken hostage in the Hamas attack have been freed, according to the AP. They were certain Gat would be freed, too, Slifer said.

Gat was “free-spirited,” Slifer said, and very spiritual. She was an occupational therapist in Tel Aviv, loved yoga and traveled frequently to India.

Her family in Israel confirmed to Slifer that Gat was found dead with other hostages, shot in the head, in a tunnel in Rafah. The Israeli military said six of the hostages were killed shortly before their release, the AP reported.

“It’s hard to believe that we’ve failed Carmel and that the world has failed Carmel,” Slifer said.

Slifer said Gat loved her family very much. The day she was kidnapped, she was visiting her parents in Be’eri, a kibbutz in southern Israel. She had just traveled through India, Slifer said, so she decided to return home.

Slifer said Gat was asleep when the attack occurred. Gat’s mother was killed, shot in the street of the kibbutz, and Gat was taken hostage. Other family members fled, some hiding in a ditch overnight for 12 hours, Slifer said.

After a November deal between Israel and Hamas freed dozens of hostages, including Yarden Roman-Gat, a relative of Gat. Slifer said it was “absolutely heartbreaking” when Gat did not emerge with the others this month.

Released hostages said Gat taught yoga to younger hostages while they were being held in the Gaza Strip.

“She did yoga with these kids to help them stay balanced and balanced,” Slifer said. “It’s just a testament to her and her spirit that she did that.”

Joel Schwitzer, regional director of the American Jewish Community in Dallas, said he admired Gat’s efforts to help other hostages “deal with the undealt with.”

“When you can find those little rays of light in the darkness, it gives you hope,” Schwitzer said.

Schwitzer said the Dallas Jewish community is “collectively shocked and grieving” after the weekend’s news.

“It matters when you tell your Jewish friends and neighbors that you care about them and care about them,” Schwitzer said.

Gat’s family in the U.S. and Israel have been working to spread the word about the hostages in Gaza, Slifer said. Israel believes 101 hostages are still missing, according to the AP, including 35 who are presumed dead.

“Anyone would do the same thing for their family,” Slifer said. “The world needs to start treating these hostages like their family.”

The other hostages confirmed dead this weekend include Eden Yerushalmi, 24; Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23; Alexander Lobanov, 33; Almog Sarusi, 27; and Ori Danino, 25. The news of the six deaths has prompted more urgent calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the AP reported.

“I hope we can release the remaining hostages as quickly and safely as possible,” Schwitzer said. “Only then can reconstruction begin and everyone in Israel, Gaza, the West Bank (and) around the world can begin to heal.”

Slifer said she will continue to speak out about the hostages, raise awareness and call for their return. She hopes the recent deaths will be a turning point that allows others to return home.

“This is not a world away,” Slifer said. “People seem surprised that someone in their own community has a family member who is being held hostage in Gaza. I tell them this is very real and very close to home, and you should care.”