Exactly three months after the massacre at the Nova nature party near Kibbutz Reim, in which at least 350 people were murdered, some of the victims' relatives arrived on Friday.
Among the speakers at the memorial ceremony were 18-year-old Itai Regev, who was kidnapped to Gaza from the party along with his sister Mia, and released from captivity as part of the deal to release hostages.
Itai Regev, released from Hamas captivity, at the scene of the massacre at the nature party in Re'im," Photo: Getty Images
The families of the abductees and the murdered arrive at the scene of the massacre in Re'im for the first time, Photo: AP
Families of the abductees at the Nova memorial event, photo: AP
"It was very important for me to come here and talk. I was held captive for 54 days – and every day passed like an eternity. The conditions there are very, very difficult, very, very difficult to live there. The abductees can't stay there for one more minute, and they all have to go home now!"
Also participating in the event was Michael Levy, Or's brother who was kidnapped to Gaza. Or's wife, Einav, was murdered on October 7. In an interview with the BBC, he said that the incident was the hardest thing he had ever experienced, apart from the moment he had to explain to his nephew, Almog, that "Mom won't come back and Dad is missing."
The memorial ceremony for the victims of Nova, Photo: Getty Images
A female soldier next to photos of abductees from the Nova nature party, Photo: Reuters
Photos of the abductees and murdered from the nature party in Reim, photo: Reuters
Michael added, "It feels like we're living someone else's life. It's like a horror movie. It doesn't feel like our life. I didn't sleep more than three hours for 91 days. I barely eat."
In an interview, he said that his life is divided into two. Before and after the massacre. "There's the old Michael before October 7th and there's the new Michael. These are two different people."
Michael asks the government to make the issue of abductees a top priority. "They need to come back as soon as possible. That was the requirement on day one, and it's still our requirement 90 days later."
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