Thieves Who Looted Property from Nova Festival Site on October 8 Will Sit in Jail

In a grim reminder of the chaos following the October 7 massacre, three individuals, two from Beer Sheva and one from Ramat Gan, have been convicted of aggravated theft for looting valuables from the Nova music festival site near Kibbutz Re'im. The Beer Sheva Magistrates' Court today (Sunday) sentenced them to between 36 and 58 months of actual imprisonment, along with fines and compensation totaling tens of thousands of shekels.

According to the court's ruling, published today, the defendants exploited the confusion in the area to steal property belonging to civilians who were murdered during the Hamas-led attack. "The accused took advantage of the prevailing disorder and acted to steal property belonging to citizens who were killed," the judgment states.

The facts from the indictment reveal that on October 7, 2023, Israel was assaulted by thousands of terrorists from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, resulting in over 1,400 deaths in southern communities and at the Nova festival.The following day, October 8, around 4:00 PM, the trio drove toward the Gaza envelope area, reaching a police checkpoint near Moshav Gilat. An officer informed them that entry from Ofakim was blocked and suggested trying via Netivot.

Undeterred, they continued and entered the restricted zone, arriving at the Nova site.While the defendants waited in their vehicle, an accomplice scoured the area, gathering a haul of items from the victims' belongings. They then fled with the stolen goods, which included a jewelry collection valued at 20,000 shekels.

The court emphasized the severity of the crime, given the circumstances, leading to the substantial prison terms and financial penalties.