Aiia Maasarwe: Family releases tragic final picture

The devastated family of murdered Israeli student Aiia Maasarwe make a heartbreaking appeal to Victoria Police as they release their final image of the beloved 21-year-old.

The family of murdered Israeli student Aiia Maasarwe have pleaded with Victoria Police to immediately release her body, saying she deserves the respect of a dignified funeral without further delay.

The call came as the family released the final, cherished photograph of all four sisters together with with their parents on a holiday in China.

Muslim funeral rites require a person to be buried as soon as possible in order to show maximum respect.

The Maasarwe family released the final, cherished photograph of all four sisters together with with their parents on a holiday in China.

But Aiia, who was killed early on Wednesday morning, remains in Victoria and her family are desperate for her to be returned to Israel for her funeral.

Her uncle Abed Ali Kattani said he understood a person had been arrested, but “what if they arrested the wrong guy?

“We can’t put our efforts into it now. We are not focusing on that. We can’t waste our energy. All our energy is aimed to returning the body,’’ he told News Corp.

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Israeli student Aiia Maasarwe was killed shortly after she got off a tram in Melbourne’s Bundoora.

“Roba (Aiia’s sister who was on the phone to her when she was killed) is in a difficult condition and it’s not easy.

“We are trying to get the load off, trying to take care of (her). We brought professionals to help her.’’

Aiia’s cousin Bacher Maasaewe, said: “We don’t want to get into politics, we want to speed up the process for her.

“They have finished the body autopsy,’’ he told News Corp. “Our request is humanitarian.’’

Mr Kattani said the delay in returning Aiia’s body was very hard on the family.

“The sister (Noor) came tonight from Shanghai, the father (Saeed) is in Melbourne, the uncles came from the US.

“This split brings a bad mental state. “When you bury someone you have a relief, so we focus on the body and the burial.

Saeed Maasarwe, the father of Aiia Maasarwe, attends a vigil on Sunday at the site where her body was found in Bundoora. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

“We will have signs saying “We want Aiia now” and “We need Aiia here.” Dr Ahmed Maasarwe, another uncle, said a prompt funeral for Aiia was essential.

“In order to respect the dead, you need to bury her, that’s how it is in Islam,’’ he said.

“It breaks our heart she was murdered, we lost her.

“We can’t sleep, not me, not her sisters, not her mother. “We wake up every hour and pray.

“We are frustrated, we die every day. As long as she is between the sky and the earth, she will not reach heaven.’’

Relatives say the delay in returning Aiia’s body has been was very hard for her family.

The Deputy Mayor of Baqa al-Gharibyye, Morisi Abu Mukh, spoke at a vigil held on Sunday for Aiia, saying it was a very sad day for the town.

“I think it’s very sad for all the world,’’ he said.

“Aiia was killed just because she’s a woman and we hope this will be the last situation (murder). “In Baqa we really appreciate what the Australian people are doing

now, with the body of Aiia, her father and her family. But we are worried because we have about 200 girls who study abroad, in Europe and America, we are worried. This is a sad day for all the human beings in the world and we hope that Aiia’s body and her father will return as soon as possible.’’

Originally published as Aiia Maasarwe: Family releases tragic final picture