update deskOctober 7

Nova festival massacre survivors in France to recount horrors

The delegation was slated to meet with senior parliamentary officials and members of the Jewish community.

People visit the site of the Supernova music festival massacre near Kibbutz Re'im, Nov. 30, 2023. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90.
People visit the site of the Supernova music festival massacre near Kibbutz Re'im, Nov. 30, 2023. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90.

A delegation of survivors of the Oct. 7 Supernova music festival massacre arrived in France this week for what the Israeli Foreign Ministry described as a “special outreach mission.”

The delegation includes Michal Ohana, 27; Yuval Vakanin, 24; Itai Razumenko, 25; and Israel Defense Forces Lt. Col. Eitan, 41.

Some 364 people were murdered at the outdoor rave near Kibbutz Re’im, Israel, attended by 3,500 partygoers—nearly one-third of the 1,200 people killed by Hamas terrorists during their mass invasion of the northwestern Negev. Many were wounded, and at least 40 were taken back to Gaza as hostages. There have been widespread reports of rape and sexual abuse during the attack.

During the visit to Paris, members of the delegation were slated to meet with senior parliamentary officials and members of the Jewish community, with student organizations and youth leaders.

“In these twisted days when Israel is accused of genocide, it is our duty to tell the truth about what happened on Oct. 7 above all else. We went through an inhuman massacre and the world must not close its eyes,” said Ohana.

Added Razumenko: “My family experienced the Holocaust and World War II. Humanity has not learned a lesson. What we went through on Oct. 7 should not happen to anyone.”

The delegation also met with Arthur Denovo, president of the Bataclan Massacre Victims Organization, which was founded after the coordinated Islamic State terror attacks in France in November 2015.

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