The October 7 victims who took their own lives: How dozens killed themselves as they struggled to cope with the atrocities they witnessed or losing loved ones

In the two years since the Hamas massacres on October 7, dozens of survivors have killed themselves trying to cope with the atrocities they witnessed or the loss of loved ones.

It was reported that Yelena Giler, the mother of Slava Giler, who was killed at the Nova music festival yesterday, died by suicide on Thursday.

His death came just two days after the second anniversary of Israel’s bloodiest day, when more than 1,195 people were slaughtered.

Many of the victims were subjected to horrific sexual abuse, while some were horribly mutilated before being killed.

Slava’s brother, Alex ‘Sasha’ Giler, explained how Yelena was ‘broken that day’ in his social media post.

‘His condition was stable until October 7,’ Sasha wrote. ‘He was taking his medication and living a normal routine. But October 7 broke him completely.

‘Since Slava was killed he couldn’t bear the pain anymore. It got to the point where I didn’t even recognize him. ‘He had really lost touch with reality.’

Sasha explained to JFeed that the heartbroken mother was constantly hospitalized due to the psychological damage she suffered, but it wasn’t helped by their family leaving their home.

He said: ‘He took her death very hard. He was also evacuated from Kiryat Shmona, but that didn’t make things easier for him.’

He described how he thought he was recovering on Wednesday before his body was found the next day.

‘He didn’t return my calls the next morning,’ he said. ‘I called the police at 11am. ‘They saw his phone ringing inside the flat and then found him lifeless on the sofa.’

Yelena’s death was the second suicide linked to October 7 in just a week.

On Friday, Roei Shalev’s body was found in his burned car. He witnessed the brutal murder of his girlfriend during the mass shooting at the Nova music festival.

Hours before, he had written a post on social media saying that he planned to end his life.

It read: ‘I’m really sorry. I can’t stand this pain anymore. It hurts inside me and I can’t hold it in anymore.

‘I have never felt so much pain and suffering in my life; deep, burning, eating me up inside.

Along with his girlfriend, Shalev also witnessed the murder of his best friend, Hilli Solomon. Shalev was able to survive by pretending to be dead for hours after being shot in the back.

Her trauma was exacerbated when her mother, Raffaela, took her own life two weeks after the attacks.

His death led to calls for the government to offer greater support to survivors on 7 October.

The Nova Tribe Community, formed to support victims and survivors, called him ‘one of the pillars of our community.’

Reacting to his death, the Israeli health ministry said: ‘As we commemorate two years since the October 7 massacre and prepare for the return of the surviving hostages to their homes and the burial of the martyrs, it is important to remember that the intense emotions we all experience can trigger complex emotions.’

Roei Shalev witnessed the brutal murder of his girlfriend and best friend at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.

He managed to survive by pretending to be dead after being shot in the back

A little over a year after the massacre, another Nova survivor, Shirel Golan, died by suicide on her 22nd birthday.

His family has spoken publicly about his struggle with post-traumatic stress.

His brother Eyal told CNN that his health problems began shortly after the Hamas attack. He said: ‘He didn’t leave the house. ‘He didn’t come to visit us, he withdrew.’

She said her family always tried to keep an eye on her, but when they gathered to celebrate her birthday, she wandered off. She was already dead when her boyfriend found her at the bottom of the family’s garden.

Eyal later said he partly blamed the Israeli government, which he said never reached out to his sister or her family.

He said: ‘They had the list of Nova visitors and knew (who) had died and (who) had survived. If someone survived, let’s help him.’

Eyal also told the local press: ‘If the state had taken care of him, none of this would have happened. The State of Israel killed my sister twice. Once mentally in October and the second time physically today, on his 22nd birthday.’

Shirel was at the festival with her partner when Hamas attacked. The couple hid under a bush for several hours.

They then refused to get into a car with 11 other people. It was later revealed that the people in the vehicle were either killed or taken hostage.

Last year, Shirel’s surviving demon Noam Ben David told ITV he was constantly ‘reliving’ the memories every day. He said emotionally: ‘This is a nightmare I’ll never wake up from.’

Vladislav Bongart, whose daughter was killed at the festival in February, died by suicide while trying to come to terms with his loss.

Sofia’s mother Anna said that her daughter Sofia and her childhood friend Liraz Nissan obtained tickets for the concert ‘at the last minute’. Liraz died when militants threw hand grenades into the shelter where they were hiding.

Shirel Golan killed herself a little more than a year after surviving the massacre. His brother said he became withdrawn as he tried to cope with the trauma

Sofia, rear left, was killed during Hamas attacks. His father, Vladislav, killed himself while struggling with the loss. His wife, Anna, said he was ‘stuck in the massacre and felt heavy guilt’

Sofia was also killed while trying to escape from the shelter. After her death, her father visited her grave twice a week and left red roses.

His wife explained how he was ‘trapped in the massacre and felt heavy guilt for not being able to save his daughter’.

Anna told local media: ‘I went home, opened the door and realized what had happened. ‘I thought you were asleep on Friday afternoon, but this was the second time life had knocked me down.’

Survivors and their families are not the only ones having difficulty coping with the aftermath of the attacks.

In July of this year, Master Sgt. Ariel Meir Taman, a reservist who identified the bodies while serving at the Military Rabbinate after the attacks, was found dead in what police said was a suspected suicide.

Many people have cited the gruesome identification work after October 7 as one of the main reasons why he took his life.

Guy Shimon, who survived the attacks at the festival in April last year, told the Israeli parliament that people who survived the attack had difficulty coping with the trauma.

Master Sgt. Reservist Ariel Meir Taman had to identify the bodies of people killed in the attacks. Found dead in what police say is a suspected suicide

‘There are many survivors who had to be forcibly hospitalized due to their psychological condition. My friends don’t get out of bed, and neither do I.’

In January, it was reported that 28 Israel Defense Forces members lost their lives in the Gaza war caused by Hamas’ actions on October 7.

This figure is a sharp increase compared to the 25 people who killed themselves between 2021 and 2022.