Who Was Shirel Golan? Nova Festival Massacre Survivor Dies on 22nd Birthday, Brother Blames Israel

In a tragic incident, Shirel Golan, a 22-year-old survivor of the Nova music festival massacre, died by suicide on her 22nd birthday, October 20, 2024. Her brother, Eyal Golan, stated that Shirel had been suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following the brutal attack by Hamas during the festival in Kibbutz Re’im, southern Israel, on October 7, 2023. Shirel and her partner, Adi, survived the massacre by hiding, narrowly escaping death when they avoided boarding a car with others who were later killed or captured by Hamas.

Despite being hospitalized twice for her PTSD symptoms, her brother held the state of Israel responsible for her death, claiming she did not receive adequate mental health support. He expressed his grief, saying, “If the state had taken care of her, none of this would have happened… The State of Israel killed my sister twice. Once in October, mentally, and a second time today, on her 22nd birthday, physically.”

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Shirel had struggled with PTSD symptoms like disassociation and withdrawal in the months after the massacre. Eyal mentioned that his mother had to take early retirement to care for Shirel full-time. The Israeli Ministry of Welfare and Social Services later responded, stating that she had been receiving assistance before and after the incident.