In a deeply emotional segment on Tuesday's Good Morning Britain, presenter Kate Garraway delivered a heart-wrenching update on the aftermath of last month's tragic shooting at Bondi Beach in Australia.
A Family's Unimaginable Loss
The programme, hosted by Susanna Reid and Ed Balls, turned its focus to the antisemitic terror attack in December which claimed 15 lives. The youngest victim was 10-year-old Matilda Poltavchenko.
Kate revealed that Matilda's parents, Valentyna Poltavchenko and Michael Britvan, had spoken exclusively to ITV News for the first time since the tragedy. Their testimony aired as Australian politicians were recalled to parliament to debate new legislation aimed at preventing such an atrocity from happening again.
Father's Desperate Attempt to Save His Daughter
Reporting live from Bondi, ITV correspondent Debbie Edwards recounted her moving meeting with the grieving parents. She described how the family was caught in the chaos when two terrorists opened fire at a Hanukkah event.
Matilda's six-year-old sister, Summer, was sheltered by a brave woman named Natasha. Matilda, however, had tried to run back towards her parents. In a pre-recorded interview, her father Michael described the harrowing moment he found her.
"I crawled across the chairs back to where we were sitting and that's when I saw her, she was wounded on the ground," Michael said. "I took off my shirt, stayed low, covering Matilda... She was still conscious. I talked to her, saying, 'Calm down'. She was saying it was hard to breathe, and I put my shirt on her wound."
Despite his efforts, Matilda died in hospital a few hours later.
Calls for Action and Legislative Change
Speaking to Kate in the studio, Debbie Edwards reflected on the family's belief that existing laws, if properly enforced, might have prevented the attack. Their heartbreaking story has now become a catalyst for political change.
The Australian Parliament is debating new hate speech and gun laws in response to the nation's deadliest incident since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. Jewish community leaders have previously stated the tragedy was an inevitable consequence of Australia's failure to tackle rising antisemitism.
In other news on Tuesday's GMB, Kate also covered US President Donald Trump's criticism of the UK's Chagos Islands deal, while Susanna and Ed discussed the latest developments in the Beckham family dispute following a statement from son Brooklyn.
