The Nova party, which was held next to Kibbutz Reim some 5.3km from the border with Gaza, was supposed to celebrate life but it turned into a death trap for the 3,000 party goers. Exactly a year ago, more than 300 Israelis were killed there. Hundreds of others were wounded or traumatized, but many survived due to the resourcefulness of one man, Rami Davidian.
On October 7, 2023, Rami Davidian, a 59-year-old father of four and a native of Moshav Patish, which lies close to the Gaza border, woke up early to go to synagogue and offer his prayers on the annual holiday of Simchat Torah. But little did he know that it would be a day like no other.
“At 6.30am [local] sirens started going off,” he said referring to the alarms that sound every time there is a barrage of rockets from Gaza, enabling residents to seek refuge in bomb shelters.
“Unlike previous times, they wouldn’t stop, and that was unusual. Then a friend of mine called and asked me to go and help to rescue his son, who was stuck at the Nova party. I told my wife I’d be back in five minutes, took my car and started moving in that direction,” he recalls.
On that fateful weekend, some 3,000 people had gathered at the Nova party, mainly youngsters, who came to listen to music, dance and mingle.
However, the infiltration of thousands of Hamas militants cut these plans short. More than 300 party goers were shot dead on the spot. Over 250 people, including from the event, were taken hostage into Gaza. Many others were wounded, or traumatized from what they saw and they desperately looked for a way out.
The problem was that ways out were scarce. Hamas, which had been planning the attack for years, blocked all main roads, exits and entrances. Anyone who attempted to flee using the usual routes was shot. The chances of escaping without being noticed were slim.
But Davidian, who was heading to the location, still knew nothing about the situation, although he did start noticing anomalies.
“On my way I noticed a bicycle and next to it a cut off hand. Some 800 meters away from there I saw a tender with two dead people inside. My initial thought was that there had been an accident. I looked around and saw people in uniform, heard shots and the thought that crossed my mind was that the IDF was holding an exercise. So I decided to leave those dead people in the tender and moved on towards the direction of the farm where the son of my friend was believed to be hiding.”
On the way there, he turned on the radio and the picture became clear. It was then that he learned that Israel had been invaded by mobs of Hamas militants. He realized that hundreds of Israelis were either dead or injured, and he found out that the IDF was barely coping with the terror threat.
Davidian knew he needed to act.
“On my way there, I was stopped by people who begged for help. I acted on auto-pilot,” he says. “Back then I didn’t have any fear. All I wanted was to get as many people out as possible.”
Being a native of the area and someone who has lived there his entire life, Davidian says he was familiar with all the paths, the escape routes, and the terrain. He knew how to read a map, was well aware of where Hamas militants had established their roadblocks and, most importantly, he understood how to avoid them without being noticed.
For 48 hours, Davidian went back and forth loading his car with people and taking them to safety. His phone number was distributed by Nova survivors; his phone didn’t stop ringing or receiving messages. Those messages contained calls for help and geolocations.
“The most memorable event for me was the encounter with Amit, a young girl who went to have fun at Nova,” said Davidian.
Amit sent Davidian her geolocation but finding her in an open field was a challenge so they agreed that Davidian would honk and if his honks sounded louder, she would tell him “hot” as an indication he was getting closer. But by the time he reached her, she was no longer alone.
“Amit was surrounded by five terrorists. I looked at her and understood she lost faith to get out of there alive.”
Yet, he didn’t lose hope. Speaking to them in Arabic – thanks to his 17 years of interacting with Palestinian workers – Davidian made them believe he was one of the militants. Amit was released and taken out into a safe haven.
She was not the only one. On that fateful day Davidian rescued some 750 people, mainly youngsters. He also assisted the security forces, sorting out bodies, moving them away from roads to enable Israeli tanks to pass freely by.
For his actions, Davidian was recognized as a national hero. On the eve of the 76th anniversary of Israel’s independence, he lit up a torch in the annual ceremony in Jerusalem, a sign of the highest respect for his deeds.
But Davidian doesn’t feel like a hero.
“Not a single day passes that I don’t feel pangs of conscience. I am thinking of all those missed opportunities, of all those whom I reached too late, of all those I have left behind. I have seen terrible scenes: bodies hanging from the trees, men and women shot in their heads and I always feel that I could have saved more lives.”
Seeing a psychologist on a regular basis and being treated with antidepressants, Davidian realizes he might never be able to go back to what he was before. Nor will he be able to forget the images he saw in what was supposed to be a party that celebrated youth, freedom and life.
On October 7, 2023 some 3,000 Hamas militants backed by civilians entered the southern communities of Israel. They murdered more than 1,200 Israelis and hundreds of foreign nationals. Thousands of others were wounded, while 252 people were taken hostage to Gaza, 101 of whom are still in captivity. At least thirty of them are believed to be dead.