On October 7th, during the attacks carried out by Hamas commandos, the Tribe of Nova festival was the scene of a tragedy with a death toll of 364. Today, the festival site has become a place of remembrance for the victims and their families, who come to pay their respects in memory of those who lost their lives on that terrible day.
Every day, many people visit the Tribe of Nova music festival site to pay their respects. This place, located on the edge of the Gaza Strip, has become an open-air memorial following the deadly attack by Hamas commandos on October 7th, during which 364 people lost their lives in southern Israel.
A group of attentive visitors listens to the heartbreaking account of a 22-year-old survivor, Laura Blajman-Kadar. She recounts her experience: “I came with two friends and left alone. It’s very difficult to explain to people what I went through. No one can understand what happened here. I myself still can’t believe it. But it’s very important to testify and I will continue to do so.”
“Death everywhere”
The field where this memorial is held is covered with trees, one for each victim, and commemorative photos. A couple from northern Israel confides that it took them ten months to visit the site: “It was too hard for me to come here. These were young people who came to dance and have fun. It’s a sacred place for me,” says the woman. Her husband adds, “I feel the same emotions as at Auschwitz. You are there and you see death, death, death everywhere.”
Explosions are suddenly heard in the Gaza Strip, a few kilometers from the memorial. A visitor reacts by saying, “It makes me happy, because I know these are our soldiers’ bombs punishing and killing those who did this. And thanks to them, I hope this will not happen again.”
Turning the site into a permanent memorial
The faces of the visitors reflect the gravity of the place. Nathalie, a resident of Saint-Mandé on vacation in Israel, is struck by “the number, the extent, and the determination they had”. She emphasizes, “Even when you come by road, you see many places where there are photos. And that means that these are people who tried to escape and did everything they could to save themselves.”
Some visitors, like Yoni, 18, from Florida, USA, believe that this story concerns everyone, whether they are Muslims, Christians, Jews, or non-Jews. He states, “It’s truly a story that must be passed on.” The families of the victims are fighting for this temporary site to become a permanent memorial in order to perpetuate this story from generation to generation.
Source of the article: Francetvinfo
