Nova Party Security Chief Sues Ex-Shin Bet Head Ronen Bar for NIS 2.5 Million

Elkanah Federman, the security chief for the Nova party, has filed a NIS 2.5 million lawsuit against former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, accusing him of "criminal negligence" in connection with the October 7th attacks. Federman, who was present at the Nova music festival and fought off attackers during the Hamas assault, claims Bar's "arrogance" led him to withhold critical information from the Prime Minister and other officials, resulting in the deaths of thousands.

Federman alleges that Bar, despite receiving early warnings and activating specific security teams like "Tequila," failed to adequately inform the Prime Minister or other relevant authorities about the impending threat. "He is arrogant, and because of his arrogance, thousands of people were killed," Federman stated in an interview with Channel 14. He recounted his personal experience of being wounded and hiding for hours while hearing women being raped and murdered at the party, an event he believes could have been prevented if Bar had acted differently.

This lawsuit follows a complaint Federman filed with the police in April 2025, which he claims led to no investigation. "The state is not investigating him, the police are not summoning him for investigation, nothing," Federman said, expressing his desire for justice. He hopes the legal proceedings will force Bar to answer questions that he believes have gone unaddressed since the attack.

While official Shin Bet inquiries acknowledge failures in providing sufficient warning, they do not attribute direct personal responsibility to Bar for withholding specific intelligence. The Shin Bet concluded that the information available at the time did not indicate the scale or timing of the attack. Federman, however, is determined to pursue the matter in court, urging other survivors and bereaved families to join him in seeking legal recourse.

Bar, who concluded his term as Shin Bet chief in June 2025, has previously accepted responsibility for the organization's failure to provide adequate warning but denied hiding intelligence or having prior knowledge of the attack's specifics. Federman aims to shift the debate from interviews and inquiries to the courtroom, compelling the former intelligence chief to provide answers under oath.