Almost 50 people, who miraculously survived the horrific Hamas attack on Israel’s Nova Festival, have tragically lost their lives to suicide in the past six months. The inability to cope with the harrowing memories of the incident has led to this tragic outcome, as revealed by one of the survivors.
“The scars are not always visible, and the toll of tragedy often extends beyond the initial incident.” – Anonymous
The devastating attack on the Nova music festival in Israel resulted in a traumatic experience for the survivors. While the immediate casualties were reported widely, the unseen aftermath unfolded slowly and painfully in the subsequent months.
Guy Ben Shimon, a survivor of the attack, unveiled this heartbreaking reality during a parliamentary hearing for a State Audit Commission on the treatment of the survivors of the October 7 attack.
“Few people are aware, but there have been almost 50 suicides among the Nova survivors. This number, which was accurate two months ago, may have increased since,” Ben Shimon stated.
His words brought to light the mental health crisis that has silently unfolded among the survivors. Many of his friends, who escaped the massacre, were unable to recover from what they had witnessed, I24NEWS reported.
“There are many survivors who had to be forcibly hospitalized due to their psychological state. My friends and I are unable to get out of bed,” Ben Shimon shared in Hebrew, highlighting the overwhelming impact of the traumatic experience.
He further revealed his personal struggles, “I am practically unable to do anything. I had to get a dog to help me survive in my daily life. The goal for all of us is to return to work and function normally, but we cannot do it without adequate help.”
The hearing focused on the alleged shortcomings of state entities in providing support to the survivors of the Hamas attack on the Jewish state.
Survivors faced a range of difficulties, primarily bureaucratic, in getting their post-traumatic stress disorder recognized and treated.
“Why should I constantly prove what I experienced? Why am I forced to go back to the details of what I experienced for them to believe me?” questioned Naama Eitan, another survivor, during the hearing.
She shared her health struggles, “I participated in a study that monitored my pulse and other parameters and revealed how bad my health is. I sleep on average two hours a night. Each morning at 7 o’clock, I relive the moments when I was hidden in the bushes with terrorists passing by me. I can no longer move on my own, I need to be constantly accompanied.”
The Israeli Ministry of Health stated that it does not have information to confirm the claim about the suicides.
On the day of the attack, 364 people were brutally killed at the Nova Music Festival in the Negev desert. Recent studies cited by i24NEWS reported that approximately 600,000 Israelis have been waiting for psychological support since October 7.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or visit SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
