Nova Festival Security Chief Sues Ex-Shin Bet Head for $670,000

Elkanah Federman, the former security chief for the Nova music festival who was injured during the October 7th Hamas attack, has filed a NIS 2.5 million (approximately $670,000) lawsuit against former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. The lawsuit, filed in the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, alleges that Bar failed to fully relay critical intelligence information received in the hours before the attack. Federman claims that this intelligence, if properly disseminated, could have led to the evacuation of the festival and a different security response.

According to the lawsuit, the Shin Bet received unusual indications on the night of October 7th, including the activation of Israeli SIM cards prepared for Hamas operatives, suspicious movements by senior Hamas officials, and changes in communication patterns. An human source also reportedly alerted the Shin Bet to a gathering of Hamas operatives in mosques and meeting points, with this information allegedly reaching Bar. Federman contends that this "game-changing" intelligence was not presented during a situation assessment meeting with Southern Command around 3 AM.

Federman further claims that Bar "did not provide a full report to Southern Command" and should have also warned the police securing the festival about the possibility of infiltration or kidnapping. The lawsuit also points to Bar's decision to dispatch the "Tequila" team to the south as evidence that he himself was preparing for the possibility of an incursion into Israeli territory.

The lawsuit also details Federman's actions during the attack. After militants reached the festival's exit, he and other security personnel worked to rescue the wounded. Federman then took a weapon and fought alongside police officer Andrei Pushibai, continuing to fight with his pistol after Pushibai was killed. Federman was later shot in the back, retreated, and hid for hours until he was found and evacuated to the hospital.

Federman argues that if an adequate warning had been issued, "the party would have been stopped and the compound evacuated hours before the rockets began and the infiltration started," thereby preventing his injuries. He is seeking compensation for physical and psychological damages, lost earnings, and pain and suffering.