Nova Survivor Yuval Raphael Shares Trauma After 7/10
Translated & summarized from Israel Hayom by baba
Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7th Nova festival massacre and Israel's Eurovision 2025 representative, shared her trauma and recovery journey on social media. She detailed her psychological struggles, including a year and a half of complete life interruption, and the difficulty of simple daily tasks. Raphael returned to the Re'im junction, where she survived for seven hours hidden under corpses, to share her memories and documentation from that day. Her experience led to a prolonged recovery period before she pursued her professional aspirations, culminating in her selection for Eurovision.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Yuval Raphael, a Nova festival survivor, shared her trauma and recovery three years after the October 7th attacks.
- Raphael described a year and a half of complete life interruption and the struggle with basic daily tasks.
- She detailed surviving seven hours in a "death bunker" near Re'im, hidden under corpses.
- Raphael will represent Israel at the Eurovision 2025 competition.
- She returned to the Re'im junction for the first time to share memories and documentation.
Yuval Raphael, who will represent Israel at Eurovision 2025 and survived the Nova music festival massacre, posted on social media Wednesday marking three years since the October 7th attacks. For the first time, Raphael shared documentation from that morning at the Re'im junction, alongside a text detailing her complex psychological struggle and return to life since the tragedy. She described the dissonance she has felt since her survival, stating, "Three years later, I return to the place where I was reborn, and at the same time, this land is still bleeding." Raphael explained that her recovery process was lengthy, involving a complete halt to her daily life. "You knew me at a stage that I only reached after a year and a half of a complete break from life as I knew it. A year and a half of relearning my soul and focusing only on it," she wrote on Instagram. She elaborated on the difficulties of the initial recovery steps, emphasizing patience. "For a long time, my only goal was to get up in the morning and brush my teeth. And every day I managed to take that small step, I knew I had conquered the day," Raphael shared. Professional aspirations were also put on hold: "All dreams, goals, aspirations were put in a significant drawer, which was only opened after my soul felt strong enough. I knew that to achieve them, I first needed to heal." She thanked the public and her surroundings for their support and expressed faith in the continued choice of life. Raphael's survival story began on October 7th, when she and four friends arrived at the Nova festival. Amidst rocket fire, they drove towards the main road but due to traffic and heavy shelling, decided to seek shelter in a "death bunker" near Re'im. While in the bunker, Raphael spoke with her father, who instructed them to play dead. She and others remained hidden under corpses for seven hours until rescue forces arrived. After her recovery, Raphael gained public recognition by winning "The Next Star for Eurovision" and being chosen to represent Israel in 2025. She is now returning to the Re'im junction for the first time to share her memories.
The same event, reported separately by each outlet. Open a few to compare what different newsrooms emphasize — and what they leave out.
Centre 1Right 1
Not the same event — other stories that share this one’s people, places, or theme: background, reactions, and follow-ups.
