Tue Sep 24 04:00:00 UTC 2024: ## Five Lifelong Friends Murdered in Nova Music Festival Massacre, One Year Later
**Israel** – One year after the horrific Hamas attack on the Nova music festival near the Gaza border, the families of five lifelong friends, all tragically killed in the massacre, are still grappling with their unimaginable loss.
Ben Cohen, Dor Toar, Tamar Gutman, Eden Moshe and Yiftah Twig, all 27 years old, were known as “the gang” and shared everything from daily routines to a love for music and festivals. On October 6, 2023, they attended the Nova festival, a celebration of “friends, love and infinite freedom,” unaware of the impending tragedy.
The attack unfolded on the morning of October 7th. As the festival-goers noticed rockets in the sky and sirens sounded, a group of Hamas militants, initially targeting the nearby town of Netivot, spotted the festival. They turned their attack on the unsuspecting crowd, turning the celebration into a killing field.
The five friends fled to nearby Kibbutz Be’eri, but it had already been infiltrated by the militants. They returned to the festival, only to find the main exit road blocked. Four were shot and killed near the highway, while Twig, who had separated from the group, was killed hiding in a large metal rubbish container.
The families, devastated and left with little information, formed a WhatsApp group to share any scraps of information they could gather. The confirmation of each of the five friends’ deaths was a gut-wrenching blow, delivered over several days and weeks.
Today, the five are buried side-by-side, a testament to their inseparable bond. The families, now united by grief and trauma, are still haunted by the horrific memories and the ongoing war. They continue to fight for justice and for the release of the hostages held in Gaza.
“It’s devastating to see them buried together,” said Moran, Ben’s eldest sister. “It’s not something I can get used to. My bond with the other siblings – my new sisters, I call them – helps me to keep going.”
The Nova festival massacre was one of the worst atrocities of the 2023 conflict, with 364 people murdered. The site remains a stark reminder of the brutal reality of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
First Piper 