Elkana Federman, who served as head of security at the Nova festival and was wounded in the October 7 attack, has filed a 2.5 million shekel ($700,000) lawsuit against former Shin Bet director Ronen Bar, claiming Bar failed to pass on a full warning of intelligence pointing to the coming assault.
The lawsuit, filed in Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, alleges that Bar was negligent in the hours before the attack. Federman is seeking compensation for physical and psychological injury, lost income, and pain and suffering.
According to the claim, the Shin Bet received several unusual indicators during the night before the massacre, including the activation of dozens to hundreds of Israeli SIM cards allegedly prepared for Hamas terrorists, unusual movements by senior Hamas figures, and changes in communication patterns. The suit further alleges that a human intelligence source reported Hamas operatives gathering in mosques and meeting points, and that this information reached Bar.
Federman claims the human-source intelligence was not presented at a situation assessment held at Southern Command headquarters around 03:00 that morning. The lawsuit calls this intelligence a "tiebreaker" that could have changed how the other warning signs were interpreted. The suit also points to Bar's decision to dispatch the Shin Bet's "Tequila" counter-terror team to the south, arguing it shows Bar was preparing for the possibility of a cross-border infiltration.
Federman alleges Bar did not pass a full briefing to Southern Command, and should have warned the police securing the festival of a possible infiltration or kidnapping attempt. Had the full intelligence been shared, the suit argues, the army would have deployed differently and the Nova festival would have been treated as a potential target. The claim states that Bar "in his negligence, didn't lift a finger to protect the festival-goers, including the plaintiff."
Alongside the allegations against Bar, the lawsuit describes Federman's actions during the attack. When the rocket fire began, he worked with the security team under his command to evacuate thousands of attendees. According to the suit, the guiding principle was "we don't leave the event until the last partygoer leaves." After the terrorists reached the exit area and began shooting at fleeing civilians, Federman and other guards drove ATVs toward the gunfire and helped evacuate wounded to the festival grounds.
Later, a damaged tank arrived with two soldiers inside, including the fighter Ofir Testa hy"d, who was critically wounded. According to the suit, Federman asked Testa for his weapon and fought the terrorists alongside police officer Andrei Pushibai hy"d. After the magazine ran out and Pushibai was shot and killed, Federman took his pistol, which had six bullets left, and continued advancing toward the terrorists. He was shot in the pelvis, retreated hundreds of meters while wounded and under fire, and hid in a bush for hours until he was located and evacuated to hospital. He later underwent two surgeries.
Federman claims that proper warning would have led to the cancellation of the party and evacuation of the site hours before the rocket fire and infiltration, and that his injury could have been prevented.
