Over 50 Nova Festival Survivors Have Committed Suicide Since Oct. 7
‘The goal for all of us is to return to work and function normally, but we cannot do it without adequate help.’
By Shula Rosen
Survivors of the Nova Music Festival revealed that more than 50 of those who survived the October 7th Hamas onslaught have since committed suicide.
Ben Shimon, a survivor of the massacre at the festival, spoke at a Parliamentary hearing for a State Audit Commission on the treatment of the survivors of October 7.
“Few people know, but there have been almost 50 suicides among the Nova survivors,” said Ben Shimon, adding that this was the number reported two months ago and may have increased since then.
Ben Shimon described how difficult it is for many Nova Festival survivors to simply continue with their day-to-day routines or even to get a full night’s sleep.
“There are many survivors who had to be forcibly hospitalized due to their psychological state. My friends are not getting out of bed, neither am I,” he said.
“I am practically unable to do anything. I had to get a dog to help me survive in my daily life. The goal for all of us is to return to work and function normally, but we cannot do it without adequate help,” Ben Shimon added.
The hearing was intended to discover problems with the treatment of October 7th survivors to detect gaps in the system and how to fill them to ensure those who survived Hamas atrocities receive the care they need.
During the hearing many survivors voiced their complaints about bureaucratic delays in receiving necessary care as well as attempts to get their post-traumatic stress disorder recognized, diagnosed and treated properly.
“Why should I constantly prove what I experienced? Why am I forced to go back to the details of what I experienced for them to believe me?” Naama Eitan, a Nova survivor, said during the hearing.
Eitan described how she sleeps only two hours a night and every morning she relives the terror of hiding in the bushes from terrorists.
“I can no longer move on my own, I need to be constantly accompanied,” she described.
Hamas killed 364 attendees of the Nova Music Festival on October 7th, and these were among the 1,200 Hamas murdered in Israel on one day.
Other Nova Music Festival attendees were among the 253 taken hostage.
In addition to murder and kidnapping, many attendees witnessed or were victims of gang rape and torture perpetrated by Hamas.
Send Passover Packages to Needy Israeli Soldiers – Bring Them Joy!
We are honored to thank the young men and women of the IDF who risk their lives every day to protect the citizens of Israel. Since October 7th, soldiers have been on the battlefield for months – many are hoping to come home for Passover.
Join us in sending Passover food packages (and personal notes) to Israeli soldiers and their families.
Many soldiers spend the Passover holiday with needy families back home. The soldiers greatly appreciate your love and concern. Bring them Passover joy!
CLICK HERE TO SEND YOUR PACKAGE AND NOTE TO ISRAELI SOLDIERS!
The post Over 50 Nova Festival Survivors Have Committed Suicide Since Oct. 7 first appeared on United with Israel.
United with Israel
