Nova festival survivor Shirel Golan takes own life on 22nd birthday, family blames state for ignoring PTSD

A young woman who survived Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, massacre at the Supernova music festival in southern Israel died by suicide on her 22nd birthday after a battle with post-traumatic stress disorder, her family said.

Shirel Golan’s heartbroken family said she had been hospitalized twice since the massacre, which killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and saw another 250 taken hostage. She was found dead in her apartment in Porat, central Israel, on Sunday.

“I saw that she had symptoms of post-traumatic stress, such as withdrawing and distancing herself from her friends. I asked her to take care of herself,” her brother Eyal told Hebrew media, according to the Times of Israel.

Golan, the youngest of five siblings, was supposed to visit the Western Wall and the Cave of the Patriarchs to celebrate her 22nd birthday, her family told Ynet. 

Eyal told the outlet he spent time with his sister during the Sukkot holiday and she seemed to be doing okay. 

“I asked how she was, and she said she was fine. I gave her a hug and a kiss, not realizing it would be the last,” he said. 

Golan’s family blames the Israeli government for turning a blind eye on survivors.

“If the state had taken care of her, none of this would have happened,” Eyal said.

“She said that she doesn’t get any help from the state. She said that she only gets aid from the [Tribe of Nova Community Association].”

The grieving brother had even stronger words when speaking with the Jerusalem Post, telling the outlet, “The state killed Golan. If the state doesn’t wake up, there will be more cases like this.”

Golan’s mother retired early to watch over her and help her manage her PTSD, however, it wasn’t enough to save her. 

“My mother had to retire early to be near her daughter,” Eyal told Israel’s Channel 12 News. We didn’t move a millimeter from her, and the only time we left her alone was today – and she decided to end her life.”

Eyal recalled his sister’s experience fleeing the Oct. 7 massacre, saying she had joined friends in a car to escape but started having a bad feeling about being in the vehicle and got out. 

“Everyone who was in the car was murdered. Eleven people were murdered there. It was a death vehicle. She switched to a police car that took her to Kfar Maimon [a town in southern Israel]. And that’s how she was saved,” he told Israel Hayom. 

The Welfare and Social Services Ministry, however, denied the family’s claims, saying Golan was “recognized and treated in the welfare system even before October 7 and especially after,” according to Ynet news.

Golan is survived by her parents and four older brothers.