Two years after surviving one of the deadliest terror attacks in Israel’s history, tragedy has struck again. Roei Shalev, a survivor of the Nova music festival massacre, has died by suicide—just days after the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 attack that forever changed his life.
That morning, Hamas terrorists stormed the Nova festival, killing around 1,200 people across Israel, including more than 250 civilians—men, women, and children. Among those caught in the chaos was Roei, who tried desperately to protect his girlfriend, Mapal Adam, and best friend, Hili Solomon, as gunfire tore through the crowd.
In a final act of love, Roei shielded Mapal with his body under a truck. Moments later, 25-year-old Mapal was shot and killed. Her last message to her sister captured the terror of that moment:
“Don’t tell Mom, I’m scared. There’s a massacre. Bullets are hitting me in the head.”
Roei survived by pretending to be dead for hours until Israeli forces arrived. But while his body healed, his mind never did. The trauma consumed him—and the pain spread through his family. His mother, unable to bear the loss of Mapal, took her own life two weeks after the attack.
