Stories & support

Avishag Israel is a preschool and special-education teacher from Rishon LeZion who survived the Nova music festival. In an April 25, 2024 interview she said she had gone to outdoor parties since she was 16, and that she was at Nova with friends Oshri and Shila.

Hadar and Itay Berdichesky, both 30, were killed in their home at Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023, after hiding their twin sons in the family’s reinforced room. The twins, then 10 months old, survived.

Lee Sasi, an American from Los Angeles, was at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. She has said she was dancing with her uncle and friends when rockets started and they ran to a small concrete shelter.

Shahar Mathias, also known as Deborah, and Shlomi Mathias were musicians and educators at Kibbutz Holit. They were killed in their home on October 7, 2023.

Dekel and Oshri Shalev and their three children survived the October 7, 2023 attack on Kibbutz Be’eri. Dekel was born and raised there.

Ellay and Ariel Golan and their daughter Yael survived the October 7, 2023 attack on their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Attackers set the house on fire.

Avraham “Avi” Hankin, 38, was an Israel Police officer in the Yamam counterterrorism unit and a father of four. A May 2024 Times of Israel profile says he was sent with the unit on October 7, 2023 to the Sha’ar HaNegev junction, just outside Sderot, and was killed when the force was ambushed.