On October 7, the terrorist attack on the Nova festival site in Re'im began, and the terrorists started to overrun the area and massacre the partygoers. Inbar and her friends hid beneath the stage at the festival. During the assault, in an attempt to save themselves, they ran toward the fields, with terrorists pursuing them, and they were forced to separate from one another. Inbar was captured by two terrorists who placed her on a motorcycle and abducted her to Gaza. A video of her being transported to Gaza while unconscious was even circulated on that Saturday.

"Talented creator"

Inbar's nickname as a graffiti artist was 'Pink,' and her abduction and murder prompted many artists in Israel and across the world to hold protests calling for her release. The nickname "Pink," according to her friends, symbolizes her favorite color, pink. Her friends and relatives spoke consistently about a talented creator, a painter, and an artist.

Since her abduction, her family waged a campaign for the return of her body for burial in Israel. The phrase that guided the fight was "I am also a woman, bring me back too," stemming from the policy to return women and children first in previous hostage exchange deals.

Yifat Hayman, Inbar's mother, previously stated in the Knesset, "All I ask is to kiss her. Every possible effort must be made to bring them. Because what could happen, God forbid, is that they will disappear in the streets of Gaza. All the deceased, God forbid, could vanish. And I will not even speak, God forbid, about the living, who could be murdered. After they abandoned my daughter, I expect the Government of Israel to do everything to bring her back by any available means."

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Hundreds attended Monday's funeral, including numerous Nova festival survivors, to pay their last respects to Shirel Golan, who passed away on her 22nd birthday. Her family revealed that her mental state had deteriorated after surviving Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 massacre. They maintain that despite suffering from PTSD, she received neither treatment nor support from the state.

At the cemetery, Nova survivors displayed a banner reading: "Shirel was murdered on October 7, yet remained alive until today. Thousands of souls died and survived that day." After reciting the Kaddish [Jewish mourning prayer], her father Meir said: "Shirel, rest in peace. You had a difficult year. The National Insurance Institute and the state failed to help you. Let the state know there are 3,000 more Nova survivors who need help. May you be the last Nova casualty."

Her brother Eyal eulogized: "Shirel didn't end her life – she was murdered. She was murdered twice, first spiritually on Oct. 7. While she escaped the terrorists that day, she couldn't survive the crushing weight of bureaucratic failure. No one saw you, Shirel, except Mom and Dad. Where is our beloved state of Israel? Wake up. Shirel, I swear your case will become a turning point for all Nova survivors… We won't allow another Nova survivor to endure what Shirel suffered."

Her brother Lior said: "Shirel, I loved you more than anything in the world. You were beautiful and talented. If she had received help, we probably wouldn't be here today. A family cannot cope with something like this alone."

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In the year following the devastating Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, hundreds of bereaved Israeli families have chosen to honor their fallen loved ones through impactful projects that are already making a significant difference in Israeli society. From mobile pizza ovens for soldiers to ambulances and photography exhibitions, these initiatives serve as living memorials to those who lost their lives.

There are many ways to commemorate those who fell and were murdered for their faith, but one method stands out: not through a physical memorial but by carrying on the spirit and legacy of the deceased. Thousands of non-profit organizations, volunteer groups, and charity runs have been established in recent decades to remember Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of attacks. Dozens more have joined this list following October 7 and the Swords of Iron War. These touching initiatives have already significantly impacted Israeli society as a whole.

Maya Puder, 26, who grew up in the town of Shimshit, was killed by Hamas attackers on Saturday, October 7, at the NOVA music festival near Reim. Since the tragedy, her mother, Ayala, has stopped working as an interior designer and dedicated herself entirely to helping families whose loved ones were killed at Nova. "I'm at the Knesset at least once a week. I'm in contact with Lahav 433 (similar to the FBI) as part of my activities in the association we established, the 'Children of Light' association, which works for commemoration, rights advocacy, and relevant legislation in the Knesset, as well as commemoration and awareness activities around the world," she shared.

Aviv Baram was killed on October 7 when he went out with the emergency squad to defend his home in Kfar Aza. His close friends decided to commemorate him in a unique and moving way. "We want to bring joy and love to IDF soldiers who are in remote places, who don't see home for weeks, and who guard us in outposts. We want to share Aviv's love for hosting and pampering. So we decided to set up a mobile tabun oven for making Neapolitan pizza that will travel with us to soldiers in outposts, and call it 'Aviv's Pizza,'" they shared.

First Sergeant Guy Simhi, a soldier in the Paratroopers reconnaissance unit, fell in Kibbutz Reim while fighting attackers barehanded on October 7. He was twenty years old. The soldier's family launched a fundraising campaign to establish the "Hero of Israel, My Brother" association, which plans to hold unity and leadership activities. "We set ourselves a clear goal, to commemorate his life and legacy through his most prominent trait – leadership," his loved ones shared.

Captain Alina Pravosudova, 23, was an officer at the Urim base who fought and fell in battle against Hamas attackers in the October 7 assault. "We want to donate a Magen David Adom ambulance in her name so that she will continue to save lives even after her death," her family announced with noble spirit.

Sergeant Lavi Lipshitz, a soldier in the Givati reconnaissance unit, fell in battle in northern Gaza on October 31. He was twenty years old. Lavi was a sensitive and talented photographer who used to upload a photo from his military service to his Instagram account every day. His family decided to commemorate him through his art and presented an exhibition titled "Till When – Photo Diary 2023" at the Eretz Israel Museum featuring all his photographs.

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The Nova: Oct. 7 6:29 am – The Moment Music Stood Still: The Nova Music Festival Exhibition has come to Culver City, California, and will run until October 8, a day after the one-year anniversary of the deadly Hamas attack on the festival.

On October 7, 2023, 370 attendees were murdered by Hamas, and 44 taken hostage into Gaza. The exhibit includes the Nova stage and bar setup, tents, clothing, burned cars, and phone recordings left behind by survivors and victims. Survivors and families of victims and hostages have been present at the exhibit and engage with the visitors.

According to the website, "The Nova Exhibition is an in-depth remembrance of the brutal massacre at The Nova Music Festival on October 7. The installation sets out to recreate a festival dedicated to peace and love that was savagely cut short by a terrorist attack on that fateful day. The attack at The Nova Music Festival was the largest massacre in music history."

Ashley Kermani Anderson, a Los Angeles resident with Persian heritage, shared her impressions of the exhibit: "It felt like you were actually at the festival. They play a video of what the Nova festival is about – peace and love – and then there are all these screams from the attack. I thought I knew the extent, but going made me realize how much worse it really was."

She recalled first becoming aware of the attack on social media following Sukkot: "We were all on our phones and saw the videos, but it was censored, and here it was not, and you felt the chaos of the situation." The uncensored footage at the exhibit was so intense that it caused her to vomit. During the October 7 attack, Anderson's parents were visiting relatives in Israel and frantically sought a way to leave the country immediately. She remembered her mother saying, "She felt like she was back in Iran and fleeing."

Anderson encouraged non-Jews to visit the exhibit, explaining: "It's facts; it's real. It can't be biased or political. It made me sad that there were only Jewish people there. We already know." She described how the events of October 7 changed her own life in the United States: "I don't wear any Jewish anything because I don't want to attract any attention." She even mentioned reconsidering her vote in November, leaning towards a candidate who demonstrated stronger support for Israel.

The exhibit has already occurred in New York and has hosted hundreds of thousands of visitors. Moran Stella Yanai, a former Israeli hostage kidnapped from the Nova Festival and later released in a prisoner exchange deal, visited the New York exhibit and found her own shoes among the "lost and found" exhibit made from collected belongings at the Nova site.

Yagil Simony, Ofir Amir, and Omri Sari originally organized and displayed the exhibit in Israel. American music producer Scooter Braun went to Israel, saw the exhibit, and decided to collaborate with them to bring the display to the United States. "I see the tents, and I see the porta potties, and I see everything, and I immediately go, 'I need to bring this to New York and LA. People need to see this,'" he told The Hollywood Reporter. "It's a massacre at a music festival that should have never happened," he said. "Music is a universal language, and music has to remain a safe place."

"You see the testimonies from survivors. You see videos from their phones. You see the video that Hamas took and put all online to understand what happened that day," Braun described the exhibit. "You'll see it is a music festival. You'll see Coachella. You'll see Stagecoach ... And that's all we want people to see, that you should be able to have empathy for all people."

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The IDF and Shin Bet have retrieved the bodies of hostages Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Staff Sergeant Ori Danino from a tunnel in Rafah. These individuals were abducted on October 7 and subsequently killed by Hamas in Gaza, either on the day of their recovery or in the days leading up to it.

Following an identification process conducted by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, Israel Police, and the Military Rabbinate, the IDF's Personnel Division team responsible for liaising with hostage families delivered the tragic news to the bereaved.

Heartbreaking final communications from the victims have emerged. Yerushalmi made a frantic call to the police emergency hotline on October 7, pleading for assistance. Danino was recorded singing with his family during the Sukkot holiday, just days before his abduction. Goldberg-Polin was captured on video being taken from what became known as the "bunker of death" in Reim.

Video: Eden Yerushalmi made a frantic call to the police emergency hotline on October 7

Yerushalmi would have marked her 24th birthday on the first Saturday of her captivity. She had been planning to fly to Greece but was instead taken to Gaza from the Nova music festival in Reim. When the attack on the festival began early Saturday morning, She called her mother, Shirat, at 7:20 AM, crying out, "They're shooting at us." Her sister, Shai, took charge, and the two remained on the phone for four hours while she was on the run.

Video: Ori Danino was recorded singing with his family during the Sukkot holiday, just days before his abduction

Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old American-Israeli citizen at the time of his abduction, had attended the Nova festival with his close friend Aner Shapira, who was killed. Both sought refuge in the ill-fated shelter from which he was kidnapped. His hand was severed during the attack. On April 24, Hamas released a video of Goldberg-Polin in captivity, the first sign of life his family had received. About two months ago, his family permitted the release of footage documenting his abduction along with hostages Or Levy and Elia Cohen.

Danino was 24 years old when he was taken from the Nova music festival on October 7. He had initially escaped the festival area in Reim, but returned to help evacuate friends he had met at the party: Maya and Itai Regev, and Omer Shem-Tov. On their way out, they were shot at by attackers and abducted.

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Liora Argamani, whose daughter Noa was held captive in Gaza for 246 days following the October 7 Hamas atrocities attack, died Tuesday after a prolonged battle with brain cancer. Argamani's final wish – to see her daughter one last time – was granted just three weeks before her passing after Israeli forces rescued Noa in a daring raid to free 4 Israeli hostages in Gaza in early June, marking a poignant end to a story that captivated Israel and the world.

The 61-year-old nurse, who had traversed continents in pursuit of a dream, found her final solace in the arms of her daughter Noa – a young woman whose 246-day ordeal as a hostage in Gaza had become emblematic of a nation's anguish.

"Liora spent her final days alongside her daughter Noa, who had returned from captivity, and her close family," the hospital said in a statement that seemed to capture both relief and sorrow in equal measure. The family's request for privacy underscored the deeply personal nature of their loss, even as it played out on an international stage.

The story of the Argamanis is one of stark contrasts – of joy and despair, of reunion and separation. Liora, born in the bustling city of Wuhan, China, had come to Israel in 1994 for what was meant to be a brief professional sojourn. Instead, she found love in the desert city of Beer Sheva, marrying Yaakov and giving birth to their only child, Noa.

Noa Argamani, 26, was among the approximately 240 people taken hostage when Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7. She was attending the Nova music festival near the Gaza border when the attack occurred, an event that has since become synonymous with the tragedy of that day.

For 246 days, as negotiations for hostage releases ebbed and flowed, Liora Argamani's condition deteriorated. Her plea became a rallying cry for many Israelis, who saw in her story the human toll of the ongoing crisis.

It was Noa who became the center of a national vigil after her abduction from the Nova music festival on that fateful October day. As the weeks turned to months, Liora's private battle with cancer became inextricably linked with the public campaign for her daughter's release.

In a video that would later be seen by millions, Liora made a heartrending appeal. "I'm now a cancer patient, brain cancer. I don't know how much time I have left," she said, her eyes reflecting a mixture of determination and despair. "I want to be able to see my Noa at home."

Her words, directed at world leaders and humanitarian organizations, carried the weight of a mother's love – a force that seemed to transcend the boundaries of politics and conflict. "Noa, I want to tell you, if I don't see you - know that I love you the most," Liora said, her voice breaking with emotion. "The whole world loves you."

At a rally marking 100 days of captivity, Liora's frail form belied her inner strength as she addressed a sea of supporters. "Noa has been in Hamas captivity for 100 days, and I don't understand how this can be," she said, her words a mixture of gratitude for public support and incomprehension at the ongoing ordeal.

The long-awaited reunion came in the twilight of Liora's life. Noa, along with three other hostages, was finally released. The moment they shared – a wordless embrace in a hospital room – became a powerful symbol of closure, not just for the Argamani family, but for a nation scarred by conflict.

Amnon Regev, Noa's cousin, captured the bittersweetness of the moment in an interview. "Noa can't communicate with Liora, but she said she wanted one last hug, and I think she got it," he said. "This is her victory and all of ours."

As news of Liora's passing spread, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum released a statement that seemed to encapsulate the complex emotions of the moment. "We bow our heads in deep sorrow," it read, acknowledging both the personal loss and the broader context of ongoing captivity for others.

In the end, Liora Argamani's story is more than a footnote in a larger conflict. It is a reminder of the human cost of war, the strength found in adversity, and the enduring power of a mother's love. In her final days, Liora achieved her heart's desire – to hold her daughter once more. In doing so, she provided a moment of catharsis for a nation in need of healing.

As Israel mourns Liora Argamani, her legacy serves as a poignant reminder of the personal tragedies that often unfold in the shadow of geopolitical strife. In life and in death, she embodied the resilience of the human spirit – a beacon of hope in troubled times.

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