Three Hostage Survivors Honor Slain Security Guard at Nova Party Site

Nearly three years after the October 7 attack at the Nova party in Re'im, three security guards who were kidnapped during the massacre returned to the site to honor their fallen comrade, Elikim Leibman, who was killed during the attack. Bar Kupershtein, Eitan Mor, and Rom Breslavsky, all part of the security team, helped save partygoers and evacuate the wounded before being taken hostage and brought to Gaza.

Eitan Mor, a close childhood friend of Leibman from Kiryat Arba and fellow soldier, shared that this was his first visit to the site since his release from captivity. During the attack, Leibman stayed behind to care for the injured under fire and was killed when an RPG struck the ambulance he was in. Leibman was held captive for 210 days until his remains were discovered in May 2024 in a grave mistakenly used for one of the massacre victims and later reburied in the ancient cemetery in Hebron.

Mor and Breslavsky continued rescue efforts throughout the day, including moving bodies of young women to safe locations. When Mor attempted to return to search for Leibman, he and Breslavsky were captured. Mor recounted the emotional toll of hearing Leibman’s father declare him missing and later seeing reports of his death on Al Jazeera. The three survivors’ return to the Nova site serves as a poignant tribute to their friend and the victims of the massacre.