Nova music festival survivor kills himself two years after October 7 Hamas attack

Just past the two-year mark since the October 7 Nova music festival massacre, an Israeli man who survived the Hamas attack but witnessed the murder of his girlfriend and best friend has killed himself.

Roei Shalev, 30, was found dead in his burnt car north of Tel Aviv on Friday night. Shalev’s death throws light on the devastating, ongoing mental health crisis facing survivors of the 2023 Hamas-led atrocities.

Shalev was shot during the attack but ultimately rescued after lying for hours next to his murdered girlfriend, Mapal Adam. His best friend, Hili Solomon, was also killed in front of him as the trio tried to hide under a vehicle.

Hours before his body was discovered, Shalev posted a deeply troubling message on social media. “Please don’t be angry with me, please,” he wrote. “No one will ever understand me, and that’s OK because you can’t understand. I just want this suffering to end. I’m alive, but inside everything is dead.”

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A family tragedy compounded

According to Mapal Adam’s sister, Maayan, Shalev was shot while trying to save his girlfriend. “Roei lay next to the dead love of his life for about two hours until the army arrived and rescued him,” Maayan shared last year.

The trauma was compounded just two weeks after the massacre when Shalev’s own mother also killed herself, reportedly devastated by Mapal Adam’s death, as the two had been very close.

On Saturday, Maayan Adam posted a photo of the couple, writing a heartbreaking caption: “Roei was murdered on 7 October and died yesterday… Hope these two kids are hugging and smiling right now, hearts pressed together again.”

The Nova Tribe Community Foundation, a support organisation for survivors, described Shalev as a “backbone of the community,” remembering him for his courage and dedication to helping others cope.

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Shalev’s death immediately sparked reactions from secular opposition politicians who used social media during the Jewish sabbath to demand increased government funding and resources for mental health services.

Yair Golan, head of the leftwing Democrats party, warned that more lives could be lost without intervention. “Roei could not withstand the pain, but others are still here fighting, coping, trying to live. We must give them all the help we can – so they don’t feel alone.”