“I can no longer bear this pain”: a survivor of October 7, the preferred suicidal path, is found dead

Roei Shalev, an Israeli survivor of the Hamas massacre at the Nova festival on October 7, 2023, was found dead this Friday, October 10. Given the first elements, the police advance the possibility of suicide and at this point the intervention of a third party is ruled out, according to the Israeli media Ynetglobal.

His body was found in a car off the highway. Medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

Shortly before his death, a message was posted on his Instagram account saying that he “couldn’t go on anymore.” “I’m so sorry. I can’t take this pain anymore. It burns inside me. And I can’t take it anymore,” he wrote, causing concern among his friends.

“His death is inconceivable news for us”

On October 7, 2023, Roei Shalev attended the open-air music festival in the Negev Desert in the south of the country with his partner Mapal Adam and his best friend, Hili Solomon. Mapal Adam and Hili Solomon were murdered before their eyes by the Palestinian Islamist movement, along with 362 other people. According to the Times of Israel, the three young men hid under a truck for hours after the attack began, before being found by Hamas. Mapal Adam and Hili Solomon were shot dead. Roei Shalev was injured.

The 30-year-old had also lost his mother, who committed suicide just days after the October 7 attacks, Israeli media report. According to several Israeli media, she was very close to her son’s partner and was devastated by his death.

“Roei was one of the pillars of the community and his death is inconceivable news for us,” the organization Nova Tribe Community, which represents the survivors and relatives of the victims of the festival massacre, said in a statement. “We share the pain of his family, his friends, the community and his deep mourning.”

For this reason, the association calls for awareness, vigilance and solidarity. “Many victims of post-traumatic stress disorder continue to experience terrible and complex moments since October 7,” warns Nova Tribe Community. “We ask everyone to demonstrate constant vigilance and maximum sensitivity towards the psychological state of the victims of October 7 in general, and of the holiday survivors and grieving families in particular.”