Three Israeli citizens; Liran Yaakovov, Natanel Aviv and Oz Chai Rahum have been convicted for stealing properties belonging to victims of the October 7, 2023 massacre when groups of Hamas fighters invaded the Nova Music Festival near Kibbutz Be’eri, barely five kilometers away from Gaza, with over 4,400 fun seekers at the music party and killed more than 360 persons at the music festival which led to the state of Israel waging wars in Hamas controlled Gaza, Hezbollah controlled Lebanon, Iran under Ayatollah Khamenei Supreme Leadership and recently in Houthis controlled Yemen.
According to Israeli based media, YnetNews: “Nearly two years after the October 7 massacre, prosecutors asked the Be’er Sheva Magistrate’s Court to impose prison sentences ranging from three and a half to five years and order compensation for victims on three Israelis—Liran Yaakovov, Natanel Aviv and Oz Chai Rahum—convicted of stealing property from the Nova music festival massacre site.
“The defendants roamed among bodies and burned cars, grabbing whatever they could,” prosecutor Tehila Nidam said during Monday’s sentencing arguments.
She noted that some stolen items belonged to innocent civilians who fled for their lives or were murdered during the attack, adding, “They desecrated the dignity of the murdered, with bodies still lying in the area. Their actions violate the most basic societal norms.”
The prosecution also requested a fine of 80,000 shekels ($21,000) for the defendants. “Anyone seeking to rob helpless citizens will not only lose out but pay double,” Nidam said.
The defense disputed her claims, interrupting to argue that the accusation of looting near bodies wasn’t in the indictment. “Saying they were near bodies or burned corpses, when it’s not in the charges, is an attempt to mislead the court,” a defense attorney contended, adding that the proposed punishment was disproportionate. “The act was disgraceful, but not severe enough to justify such a penalty,” the defense said.
Judge Shosh Shtrit responded, “It’s well-known there were bodies there, even on October 8. Make your arguments in turn.” She added that the trio’s actions were planned, dismissing claims of them being “foolish” or “childish.” The verdict is expected by late September”.
It would be recalled that The Times of Israel reported on November 17, 2023 that; “Police said that they had arrested five individuals suspected of stealing the sound equipment from a man murdered at the Supernova music festival in southern Israel, where over 260 were massacred by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
The equipment, worth some 2 million (New Israeli Shekels), NIS ($530,000), was found in the homes of the suspects and then returned to Matan Lior’s father.
The suspects — named as Ram Shaheen, Yasser Matni, Daniel Hasson, Adham Abu-Rukon and Sun Tevel — were arrested in Qalansawe, Isfiya and Daliyat al-Karmel.
They are believed to have arrived at the scene of the massacre near Kibbutz Re’im after the violence died down, taking advantage of the chaos to make away with the expensive equipment that soundman Lior, 35, had brought to the party.
Police said that an indictment would be filed against the suspects, along with a request to confiscate equipment worth NiS 185,000, ($50,000) allegedly used by the suspects to carry out the crime.
Lior was murdered along with hundreds of revelers as Hamas terrorists stormed the area and mowed down attendees, kidnapping many others into Gaza.
Ofer, his father, said that police returned his son’s wallet and ID card, which were also stolen, and added that the thieves had personally known his son.
“It was Matan’s whole world,” he told the Ynet news site, adding that the perpetrators had even showed up for his son’s shiva to console the family.
They “hugged me and said they share in my grief,” Ofer continued. “I never thought they could do such a thing. It saddens me that they knew him and did what they did.”
The rave was targetted by Hamas terrorists when they stormed into Israel via the destroyed Gaza border fence on October 7. Gunmen embarked on an onslaught in southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking some 240 hostages”.
Al-Jazeera on November 18, 2023 narrated the Hams attack at the Music Festival with a report stating that the “Hamas fighters who attacked a music festival in Israel on October 7, killing hundreds, likely did not know in advance about the event and decided to target it on the spot, Israeli media has reported citing police and security sources.
According to a copy of the first Israeli police report into the attack, obtained this week by Israel’s Channel 12, Palestinian fighters had originally intended to attack nearby kibbutz Re’im as well as other villages near the Gaza border. They found out about the music festival with drones and from the air as they parachuted into Israel.
Some 4,400 people had reportedly been at the event that Saturday when Hamas broke through Israel’s high-security barrier – which includes radar system and underground sensors – and attacked military posts and villages in southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities.
This Saturday, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the “growing assessment in Israel’s security establishment” based on the police investigation and on interrogations of captured Hamas members, is that the group had not planned to target the event.
While police found maps of the target locations on the bodies of killed Hamas members, none was of the festival location. An additional finding supporting the assessment, according to Haaretz, was that Hamas militants did not approach the festival from the direction of the border but from a nearby highway.
In addition, the event had originally been scheduled to take place on Thursday and Friday, with Saturday added to the programme only on Tuesday that week.
The report also found that most of the festival goers had managed to leave the event by the time Hamas showed up and the massacre began.
“The large majority of [people who were at the event] managed to flee following the decision to disperse the event made four minutes after the rocket attack,” according to a senior police source quoted by Haaretz.
The police investigation also found that an Israeli military helicopter opened fire on the assailants but also hit some people attending the festival. No further details were provided, Haaretz reported.
“An investigation into the incident revealed an [Israeli military] combat helicopter that arrived at the scene from the Ramat David base fired at the terrorists and apparently also hit some of the revelers there,” the news report cited an unnamed police official as saying”.