- Bar Asraf, a 30-year-old man, died by suicide at the grave of his girlfriend, Liron Barda, who was murdered by Hamas during the October 7 attack on the Nova music festival.
- Asraf was found with a gunshot wound to the chest at the Elkana cemetery, where Barda is buried, after he went missing from a family wedding.
- His sister discovered him lying dead next to Barda's grave, stating he had died in the place where he most wanted to be.
- Barda, who was the bar manager at the Nova festival, chose to stay and help the injured during the attack instead of fleeing.
- Asraf's mother, Bracha, described him as a good person who struggled to cope with Barda's death, stating he often brought flowers to her family and even got a tattoo in her memory.
- Mental health advocates have warned that many survivors of the October 7 attack continue to face severe trauma, with reports of multiple suicides among festival survivors.
Bar Asraf, 30, took his own life at the grave of his girlfriend, Liron Barda, who was killed during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack at the Nova music festival. His sister discovered him after he went missing from a family wedding, where he had been feeling lonely.12
Asraf was found with a gunshot wound to the chest at Elkana cemetery, where Barda is buried. His sister, Lihi, recounted, "I walked over, and suddenly I saw him lying next to Liron’s grave... I realised he was covered in blood." Emergency responders were unable to save him.34
Barda, a bar manager at the festival, chose to stay and help the wounded during the attack, despite pleas from friends and family to leave. Her father, Avi, had urged her to flee, but she refused, stating, "I cannot abandon the wounded." Asraf's mother, Bracha, described their bond as that of soulmates, noting that he struggled profoundly after her death, often expressing how much he missed her.910
Bracha revealed, "He said, 'Mom, I'm sad. It's hard for me without Liron.'" In the years following Barda's death, Asraf maintained a connection with her family, regularly visiting and bringing flowers. Tragically, he succumbed to his grief nearly three years later, highlighting the ongoing mental health crisis among survivors of the attack.
Mental health advocates have warned of the severe trauma faced by many survivors, with reports indicating that several have died by suicide since the attack, including cases like Roei Shalev, who set himself on fire after witnessing the killings of his girlfriend and friend.
Asraf's funeral was held at Nahal Rabbah Cemetery, marking a heartbreaking end to a story of love and loss.
“Bar Asraf, 30, of Sha'arei Tikva, slipped away from his brother's wedding; his sister found him shot in the chest beside Liron Barda's grave. His mother, Bracha, said the two were childhood soulmates and that he told her, 'Mom, I'm sad. It's hard for me without Liron.'”
