Nova festival survivor found dead in burning car near Netanya

An Israeli man who survived the October 7 attack at the Nova music festival was found dead in a burning car on a highway exit near Netanya on Friday, days after the second anniversary of the massacre, police said. Authorities are investigating the circumstances of his death, and family members have asked to mourn in private.

The man, identified by community groups as Roei Shalev, had been a survivor of the attack on the all‑night festival near the Gaza border in 2023, when militants stormed the site. Shalev survived after playing dead beneath a vehicle while his girlfriend, Mapal Adam, and a close friend were shot and killed. He later described trying to shield Adam as gunmen fired at those hiding at the scene.

On the day he was found, CCTV footage reviewed by investigators reportedly showed Shalev at a service station filling a fuel canister before the car was set alight. In a farewell post on social media early Friday, he wrote in part, "I cant bear this pain any longer" and "Im burning inside, and I cant contain it anymore. I just want this suffering to end." Officials said the content of the post is being treated as evidence in the ongoing inquiry.