A pending lawsuit from the survivors of the Nova music festival in Re'im will place responsibility on the Israeli government for the events of the festival and is seeking NIS 200 million for damages for survivors, Israeli media reported.
Some 42 survivors of the Nova music festival - which was the site of a massacre by Hamas terrorists in the early morning hours of October 7, murdering and sexually assaulting a slew of victims - presented claims of negligence at the hands of the IDF, Shin Bet, and Israel Police. "The disaster could have been avoided at so many points in time," representatives for the survivors told Israeli media.
The lawsuit, which was filed Monday, is the first tort lawsuit of its kind filed against these Israeli security agencies, calling for them to take responsibility for the events of the terror attack.
"One phone call separated the plaintiffs' lives and the integrity of their bodies and souls from the destruction of their lives," the 42 victims involved in the lawsuit wrote.
The lawsuit highlights gross negligence regarding the management of the events at the nature party, Israeli media reported.
The largest lawsuit of its kind against Israeli security forces
This is the largest tort claim ever filed in Israel against the state, the IDF, the Israel Police and the Shin Bet for their omissions and negligence, Israeli media reported. Of those who signed, all were reportedly injured physically and/or mentally. Those impacted include young men and women whose lives are changed forever based on their experiences at the nature festival that day.
Their claims were supported by medical opinions to provide evidence for their claims. "All the defendants had to do was make a phone call to the responsible parties on their behalf in order for them to disperse the party in view of the notifications received on the night between 6/10/23 - 7/10/23,” the lawyers said.
The lawsuit listed but was not limited to the licensing and approval of the party and its location, the failure to issue an order close to the party, and other claims regarding the warnings of a serious security incident in the area received hours before the massacre.
Israeli media reported that the lawsuit also said that senior officers in the Gaza Division of the IDF expressed concerns about a large gathering so close to the Gaza border, which still resulted in the approval of the event’s location.
It was also noted that a senior operations officer of the Gaza Division opposed the holding of the "Nova" party because it was an unnecessary security risk and even emphasized that the IDF would have difficulty securing the party throughout the weekend, because it was the Simchat Torah holiday and many soldiers went home.
Despite his warnings and warnings of additional officers needed, permission to hold the party. According to the prosecutors, no one in the IDF or the police informed the approximately 3,500 participants of the Nova party about security concerns.
The lawsuit also claimed that since security forces were reportedly aware of the development of an unusual security situation on the night of October 6th and the early morning hours of the 7th, participants were still not sent home from the event.
"It is incomprehensible," the court wrote, "how the defendants did not order the party to be dispersed immediately."
Despite the threat of terrorist infiltration, the party was still not dispersed nor did the security response/equipment match the extremity of the situation.
In their counsel, the plaintiffs emphasize in the lawsuit that "the lawsuit does not come to replace the state investigation committee that will be established, and that the lawsuit refers specifically to the omissions and negligence that preceded the party, including the approval and licensing of the party, the failure to issue an order to disperse the Nova party participants to their homes despite the warnings received. We expect the court to go into the thick beam and compensate the plaintiffs who are in a very difficult situation."
Maariv contributed to this report.