Oct. 7 Nova Music Festival Attendee Confirmed Dead by Israeli Military

Omri Shtivi, brother of Israeli hostage Idan Shtivi (pictured), holds a sign identifying him during a demonstration by the families of the hostages taken captive in the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 attacks, near Kibbutz Nirim in southern Israel, on Aug. 29, 2024 Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

An attendee of the Nova Music Festival, previously thought to be alive in Hamas captivity, has been confirmed dead by the Israeli military on the first anniversary of the massacre.

Idan Shtivi, 28, was killed while attempting to escape from the music festival site near Kibbutz Re'im in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. On the morning of that day, Hamas-led terrorists launched heavy rocket volleys from Gaza as cover while they swarmed into Israel using pickup trucks, motorbikes, speed boats, and motorized paragliders, unleashing a spree of killing and kidnapping of Israeli soldiers and civilians.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which initially identified Shtivi as a hostage in Gaza, said on Monday that they had informed his family of his death.

According to the IDF, the latest intelligence indicates that Shtivi was killed during the attack at the music festival site and that his body is still being held by the terrorists.

“The decision to declare him dead was based on intelligence information that was confirmed by a panel of experts from the Health Ministry, together with participants from the Religious Affairs Ministry and the Israel Police,” the IDF said in a statement, adding that they use “a range of methods” to gather information on hostages still held in Gaza.

Shtivi’s death was announced by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a non-government organization advocating on behalf of the families of those believed to be in the hands of Hamas.

The organization describes Shtivi as someone who “loved nature, photography, and animals,” noting that he was about to start his second year studying sustainability and government at Israel’s Reichman University.

Shtivi is survived by his parents, Eli and Dalit, three siblings, and his partner, Stav.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the Shtivi family,” the Forum said in a statement.

According to the organization, Shtivi had just arrived at the festival site when the attack began and never made it inside.

“On October 7th, Idan arrived at the Nova Festival in the early morning to document his friends’ performances and workshops. However, he never made it inside,” the organization said. “When the attack began, Idan helped two strangers he had just met escape from the site. This selfless choice ultimately led to his abduction.”

Approximately 1,200 people were killed during the attack, including 364 at the music festival. Hamas kidnapped 251 individuals, with Israel reporting that 97 remain captive.

“We went through a terrible massacre a year ago,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office, just hours after Shtivi was declared dead.

“On this day, on this place, and in many other places in our land, we remember our fallen, our hostages — whom we are obliged to bring home — and our heroes who fell for the defence of the homeland and the country.”

Netanyahu reiterated his goal to prevent another terrorist attack like Oct. 7 from occurring again.

“We are changing the security reality in our region, for our children’s sake, for our future, to ensure that what happened on Oct. 7 does not happen again,” he said.