Three Years After Oct 7: IDF Officers Recall Horror of Nova Festival and Route 232
IDF officers recount their harrowing experiences on October 7, 2023, detailing rescue operations, the grim recovery of victims at the Nova festival, and lasting trauma.
Three years after the October 7, 2023 massacres, IDF officers from the National Land Training Center (MALI) near Tze'elim in the Negev recall the harrowing hours of the Hamas attack, the grim recovery missions at the Nova music festival near Re'im, and the lasting psychological toll.
Colonel D., commander of MALI's Logistics Training Center, was at his home in northern Israel when the assault began. Receiving frantic reports of a burning base and surging violence along Route 232, he immediately drove south at high speed, linking up with rescue forces and directing evacuation efforts.
The Horror on Route 232 and the Nova Festival
Arriving near Kibbutz Re'im, Colonel D. and his team encountered active combat zones, destroyed vehicles, and dozens of victims. Teaming up with Chief Warrant Officer A., a resident of the Gaza envelope and MALI's vehicle company commander, they navigated active firefights to rescue the wounded and secure the fallen.
"We continued moving along Route 232 and began to see atrocities in their purest form," CWO A. recounted. "We identified a pattern: Hamas pickup trucks traveling in pairs. The first blocks oncoming vehicles, while militants in the second truck murder everyone in sight."
Tasked with organizing the grim logistics of recovering hundreds of bodies, the officers worked tirelessly under fire. They collected victims from roadside ditches, portable toilets, and dumpsters, ultimately transporting 237 bodies to the Shura military base for identification.
Psychological Aftermath and Institutional Change
Lt. Col. M., security officer and infrastructure branch head at MALI, described the haunting memories that persist years later, including ringing mobile phones displaying calls from parents labeled "Abba" or "Ima."
The tragedy forced a comprehensive overhaul within the military. MALI has integrated lessons from the war into updated combat doctrines, subterranean warfare training, and enhanced psychological support for soldiers processing severe trauma.
