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In a first-of-its-kind lawsuit, at least 42 survivors of the October 7, 2023, Supernova rave massacre have sued Israeli security forces over their alleged negligence in preventing Hamas from slaughtering civilians at the music festival. The lawsuit filed at the Tel Aviv District Court on Monday against the Shin Bet security service, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Israel Police and the Defence Ministry is seeking a claim for NIS 200 million ($56 million).
It has alleged multiple instances in which the security agencies failed in carrying out their duties. “A single phone call by IDF officials to the commander responsible for the party to disperse it immediately given the expected danger would have saved lives and prevented the physical and mental injuries of hundreds of partygoers, including the plaintiffs,” the lawsuit said. “The negligence and the gross oversight is beyond belief,” it added.
Addressing reporters on Monday night, a representative for the 42 plaintiffs said: “This disaster could have been avoided at so many points in time if these agencies had acted on time.” The festival, near Kibbutz Re’im, was among several locations where Hamas-led terrorists rampaged on October 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping at least 240 others. According to the survivors, the massacre at the Supernova festival began at about 6.30 a.m. on October 7 and continued until around noon.