Nova Festival Survivors Share New Footage From October 7th Attacks
Translated & summarized from Israel Hayom by baba
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Nova festival and southern town survivors are releasing new October 7th footage.
- The new videos add personal accounts to existing attack testimonies.
- The attacks killed about 1,200 people and 378 at the Nova site.
- IDF investigation found military failure in protecting Ofakim.
- Sderot police station was destroyed after a prolonged terrorist siege.
As the three-year mark of the October 7th Hamas attacks approaches, survivors from the Nova music festival and the towns of Ofakim and Sderot have begun sharing additional footage from that day on social media. These newly released videos supplement existing filmed testimonies from the sites where Hamas terrorists attacked civilians and security forces.
The Hamas terror organization launched a coordinated assault on October 7, 2023, during the Sukkot holiday, involving rocket barrages and infiltrations into Israel. Terrorists attacked communities, cities, and bases in the south, as well as the Nova festival near Kibbutz Re'im. Approximately 1,200 people were killed in the attack, and 251 were abducted to the Gaza Strip.
Thousands of attendees were at the Nova festival site when rocket fire began. Nivi Ohana, commander of the Ofakim police station, who was present, ordered the party stopped and participants evacuated. Terrorists later attacked the site and escape routes, resulting in the deaths of many revelers as they attempted to flee or find shelter. An IDF investigation found that 378 people, including civilians, police officers, and soldiers, were killed at and around the festival grounds, with 44 abducted to Gaza.
In Ofakim, terrorists infiltrated the Mishor HaGafen neighborhood and opened fire on residents. Police, soldiers, and armed civilians engaged the terrorists in street battles. An IDF inquiry determined the military failed in its duty to protect Ofakim, but credited the bravery of those who fought the terrorists with halting their rampage. One central location in the city was the home of Rachel and David Edri, who were held hostage and rescued by Yamam special forces on the night of October 7-8.
In Sderot, terrorists also attacked civilians in the streets and engaged in a prolonged battle with security forces at the police station. Officers trapped inside fought for hours before being rescued from the roof and upper floors under fire, some wounded. The decision was eventually made to demolish the station after terrorists continued to occupy it. The new footage shared by survivors brings renewed attention to these key locations from that day, adding personal accounts to the collected testimonies and published investigations.
