A Glasgow woman has spoken about the memory of her late brother, who was killed by Hamas in the October 7 attacks.

Bernard Cowan was 57 when the incursion by the militant group occurred, and was murdered in Kibbutz Sufa.

Sister Laura Schosloff told The Herald: "Bernard was quiet, he wasn’t academic - he was proud of the fact he set off the first stink bomb at Mearns Castle - but later we found that, like me, it was dyslexia. Obviously they didn’t know about it back then.

“I went over to Israel when I was 19, I went to two kibbutzim near the Lebanese border and they’ll all be evacuated at the moment.

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“Bernard came out to Israel when I was out, went home, and then came back out again at 17 and stayed.

“That meant he had to do military service, which is compulsory, and because he went when he was under-18 he had to do three years.

“He went to Kibbutz Sufa and eventually met (wife) Margaret, and that’s where they settled.

“They had a wonderful life there, he was so content.

“He travelled all over the world, he liked scuba diving, he liked gardening, he worked in the factory and was just a normal chap – but he had his paradise there.

“When you went in there were these big enormous jigsaws which he had done, nick-nacks from all over the world – he collected bottle openers and fridge magnets.

(Image: Cowan Family) “He had three fridges full of beer from all over, he loved his beer.

“He loved to barbecue, he had barbecue skills most chefs would be envious of. He had a smoker and he was so welcoming, anybody that came out to Israel you were always welcome to Bernard’s barbecue – that was him.”

Bernard was one of 1,180 Israeli citizens killed on October 7, the one year anniversary of which falls on Monday, 797 of them civilians and 36 of them children.

His brother, Colin, informed Laura and her husband who were then left with the grim task of breaking the news to their elderly mother.

His sister says: "50 Hamas attacked the kibbutz with only three people defending it.

“Bernard, Margaret and the dog where in the safe room – every building in Israel has a safe room.

“Bernard got claustrophobic, he came out and was sitting in his dining room and Hamas went past and shot him dead.

Laura Schosloff pictured in GlasgowLaura Schosloff pictured in Glasgow (Image: Colin Mearns) “Margaret was in the safe room, the soldiers got her out after 12 hours. We don’t know whether she found the body or the soldiers did.

"They burned people alive and obviously they took hostages.

“Then there was the music festival, these were normal young kids that these people did this to and it’s important that people remember what happened in Israel.

"We’re not after Palestinians, it’s the terrorists and you’ve got to separate the two.

“But unfortunately Hamas use their own people as shields, and it’s the same with Hezbollah.

"We were down at 10 Downing Street last week and the Prime Minister is supporting Israel, he mentioned every single hostage.

“We met people whose family have been through the same, we met a lovely lady whose daughter, who looked about 18-20 was taken from the kibbutz – they went in, they shot her in the hand, shot her dog dead and took her.

“They don’t know whether she’s still a hostage. Another chap we met had two children, teenagers, who were shot dead.

“We’ve heard horrendous stories, babies being killed. That’s not a normal army, that kills babies or takes children, mums and the elderly.

(Image: Colin Mearns)

“They were taking whoever they could grab, one of them was a 70 or 80 year old lady. They’re not even soldiers (the people they took).”

Protests have taken place within Israel about Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of events both before and after October 7, with demonstrations last month calling on him to secure a deal to release the hostages and step down.

So far 105 have been released as part of an exchange deal in November last year, eight were rescued by the IDF, and four were released unilaterally by Hamas. 101 remain in captivity.

More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military strikes, with Oxfam saying at a conservative estimate that 6,000 women and 11,000 children have died.

On the Israeli government's efforts to free the hostages Mrs Schosloff says: "They’ve done what they’ve done, they’ve tried their best but you’re talking to someone who is just a normal Scot, I don’t listen to all the news – I choose not to if it’s too scary because I’ve got to take care of my own mental health too.

"I want peace as soon as possible, I want the hostages brought back – there are over 100 still out there.

“There are 80,000 Israelis displaced at the moment, including my family and friends, and I want them to be safe in their houses.

“But I also want for Palestinians not to be used as shields, I want the Lebanese to feel that they’re safe as well and not being used as pawns.

“These poor people are being used as pawns for the terrorists, they don’t value life like we would.

“I’m a mother and I protect my kids, that’s my first priority: my family, my kids and my friends.

“They aren’t there to protect, they don’t consider life as important as we do.”