It’s been more than six months since Hamas launched a massive, surprise attack on Israel, including at the Nova music festival, where some 364 people were killed by terrorists who attacked from all angles and took dozens of others hostage. It became the deadliest concert attack in history. But many of the survivors are reportedly struggling with such severe post-traumatic stress disorder that they have been forcibly hospitalized, unable to function in their normal lives, or worse.
One festival attendee who spoke at a Parliamentary hearing for a State Audit Commission on treatment for survivors made some shocking claims about the mental health status of many survivors.
“Few people know, but there have been almost 50 suicides among the Nova survivors,” claimed survivor Guy Ben Shimon, according to i24 News. “This number, which was true two months ago, may have increased since.”
He continued, "There are many survivors who had to be forcibly hospitalized due to their psychological state. My friends are not getting out of bed, neither am I…I am practically unable to do anything. I had to get a dog to help me survive in my daily life. The goal for all of us is to return to work and function normally, but we cannot do it without adequate help.”
The Israeli Ministry of Health disputed the claim, however, with the head of the mental health division, Dr. Gilad Bodenheimer, saying "the rumors about the number of suicides and the number of hospitalizations among survivors of the Nova festival are not true.”
According to the report, many complaints have been made about the difficulty survivors are facing getting their PTSD both recognized and treated, with some studies showing there are 600,000 Israelis waiting for psychiatric help.
"Why should I constantly prove what I experienced? Why am I forced to go back to the details of what I experienced for them to believe me?" survivor Naama Eitan asked during the hearing.
"I participated in a study that monitored my pulse and other parameters and revealed how bad my health is. I sleep on average two hours a night. Each morning at seven o'clock, I relive the moments when I was hidden in the bushes with terrorists passing by me. I can no longer move on my own, I need to be constantly accompanied," she added.
According to the Welfare and Social Affairs Ministry, "1,700 out of the 3,800 Nova massacre survivors are currently receiving treatment for anxiety issues," The Jerusalem Post reports.