Bar Asraf, 30, a survivor of the Nova music festival massacre on October 7, was found dead on Saturday at the grave of his girlfriend Liron Barda, 26, who was murdered by Hamas at the festival, according to reports. Asraf's sister said he had tried to drive toward Re'im that morning to save her but was turned back. He had struggled deeply with her loss.
Bar Asraf, 30, a survivor of the Nova music festival massacre, died by suicide on Saturday evening at the grave of his girlfriend Liron Barda in the Elkana cemetery, according to reports confirmed by The Zioneer. Asraf had attended his brother's wedding just days earlier, as reported on Sunday. His sister, in a detailed account published by The Zioneer earlier today (Monday), described discovering his body at the grave, finding him covered in blood. She said the family had not seen his distress.
The Zioneer first reported on Sunday, August 2, at 16:20 Jerusalem, that Asraf had been found dead. Later that day, it emerged that he had attended his brother's wedding and that his sister said the family did not realize the extent of his grief. By Monday at 13:51 Jerusalem, The Zioneer published the sister's full recounting of the harrowing discovery.
Asraf's death is the latest tragedy linked to the October 7, 2023, Nova massacre, in which Hamas terrorists murdered more than 360 people. As The Zioneer has reported, the massacre has left deep and lasting trauma. Barda, 26, a bartender at the festival, refused to flee and stayed to help the wounded. Asraf, unable to reach her that day, was found beside her grave nearly three years later. The Zioneer has also covered other Nova-related stories, including the bar mitzvah of Eliav Abdush, who lost his parents, and the elimination of the terrorist who commanded the kidnapping of Inbar Haiman.
The family's statement that they did not see his distress underscores the hidden nature of such trauma, which remains unaddressed in many cases.
4 developments
- ConfirmedTwo and a Half Years After Losing Parents at Nova, Eliav Abdush Celebrates Bar Mitzvah
- StrongPetah Tikva man indicted for rape, allegedly told victim he was a Nova survivor
- DevelopingBrother of Nova massacre victims describes 'mixed emotions' as home for lone soldiers opens in their memory
- DevelopingTwo Israeli citizens, one a Nova survivor, arrested in Hungary on suspicion of attempted drug sale
Source and signal
- Open-source intake