IDF Probe: Israeli Rave Site Approved; Troops Weren't Informed

Hamas terrorists, who tore into a large overnight rave near the Gaza border on the morning of Oct. 7, 2023, murdering hundreds of partygoers did not appear to have known beforehand that the event was taking place — and according to the results of an Israeli military investigation, neither did nearby troops that potentially could have protected them.

The report, released Thursday, reveals that there were some in the Israeli Defense Forces' chain of command that knew about the overnight Supernova music festival and had given approval for it, but did not alert ground troops that were deployed on the Gaza border on the morning of the incursion, reported The Times of Israel.

Further, the investigation revealed that the night before the attacks, the IDF had identified signs of Hamas actions but did not mention the Nova festival, which attracted some 3,000 people, during its military assessments.

The IDF also did not station a military representative at the party to be in contact with police officers there to secure the event or place a military force near the party to protect it, both of which should have happened, the investigation shows.

And on the morning of Oct. 7, more than 100 Hamas terrorists, reportedly on their way to another location, came up on the rave and launched their attack, killing 344 civilians and 34 security personnel.

The terrorists also committed sexual crimes against men and women alike and took dozens of hostages into Gaza, where many of them died.

The investigation into the massacre and fighting at the Nova festival was carried out by Brig. Gen. Ido Mizrahi, and it is the latest in a series of investigations the IDF is conducting into the battles that took place during the Hamas attack.

The probe further revealed that the information about the massacre at the rave did not reach regional IDF forces or the Southern Command and Operations Directorate while it was going on, and that the military leaders thought the party had been evacuated when hundreds were still there.

There was also little to no coordination between the military and police during the onslaught, the probe determined, and that there were no armed forces present in the area of the party when the terrorists entered the compound and carried out the massacre.

On that day, some 5,600 terrorists flooded into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages into Gaza.

Mizrahi's investigation centered on the military's preparation for the Nova rave, how it was approved despite its location near the Gaza border, the chain of events during the attack, and the conduct of troops in the area.

The probe only examined the attacks in the area of the party site, known as the Re'im parking lot, and a section of highway next to the festival. It did not examine the murders of partygoers in other areas of the Gaza border, where they were killed while trying to escape, or the deaths of those at bomb shelters, as those deaths are being examined in other investigations.

Families of victims, upon learning the findings Wednesday, accused the army of hiding details or trying to cover up how it failed, Israeli media reports said.

The October Council, which represents families of people killed on Oct. 7, has advocated a state commission inquiry into the attacks, and called the military's findings "at best imprecise, and at worst — lies."

The music festival's production company, meanwhile, said it is glad the IDF is taking responsibility for how it failed.

"The investigation revealed and verified the extent of the neglect we felt, and the magnitude of the failure that emerges from it is multi-systemic, shocking, and incomprehensible," the company said in a statement. "We appreciate the fact that for the first time since that damned and unbearable day, an official is finally standing up to us, taking responsibility, admitting to the failures, and dealing with the anger, pain, and difficult questions."