Oct. 7 survivor sets himself on fire in tragic suicide: ‘I can’t bear this pain any longer’

Roei Shalev, a 28‑year‑old survivor of the Oct. 7 Nova music‑festival massacre, died in a car blaze near Netanya last Friday, the Jerusalem Post said. His body lay inside a smoking vehicle on a highway exit, and investigators linked the fire to the male victim who had watched his girlfriend, 25‑year‑old Mapal Adam, die during the Hamas attack.

Security footage from a nearby gas station shows Shalev filling a petrol can just hours before authorities reached him. Police seized the car and began an investigation into what appeared to be a self‑immolation. Shalev’s tragedy unfolded days after he had survived two gunshot wounds while trying to protect Adam. He later recounted the horror in a 2024 YouTube interview.

Before the blaze, Shalev posted a heartbreaking farewell on his Instagram account. He wrote, “I’m truly sorry. I can’t bear this pain any longer. I’m burning inside, and I can’t contain it anymore. Never in my life have I felt such pain and suffering — deep, burning, eating me from within. I just want this suffering to end. I’m alive — but inside, I’m already dead.” The emotional message drew an outpouring of sympathy from followers and survivors alike.

Shalev’s story is set against the backdrop of the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel, which turned the Nova festival into a chaotic and deadly scene. The men and women who attended the event—including Shalev and Adam—hid beneath a truck, feigning death for hours as gunfire and bombs rained down. They survived the massacre only to lose a loved one: Adam was shot to death by a Hamas militant, and Shalev was wounded twice but survived.

In a 2024 interview, Shalev told reporters that he and Adam whispered, “I love you,” and closed their eyes to play dead just before a terrorist approached. He described the moment he opened his eyes to find Adam lying beside him in blood, with a bullet lodged in her heart.

Tragedy struck the Shalev family again when his mother, who had also survived the Nova massacre, took her own life days after the attack. Israeli broadcaster KAN reported that she killed herself by setting her car on fire, a heartbreaking echo of her son’s fate.

The Nova Tribe Community, an organization that supports survivors and families of the festival massacre, released a statement mourning Shalev’s death. “Roei was the backbone of our community and his passing is unimaginable for us,” the group said. “We bow our heads in sorrow over the untimely death of Roei, a valued community member taken under tragic circumstances.”

Shalev’s death underscores the lasting toll of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the ongoing psychological damage it inflicts on survivors. The incident highlights how the war’s violence continues to ripple through families, communities, and the broader Israeli public.