Israeli commander failed to protect Nova festival on 7 October despite intel

A senior Israeli military commander took no action to secure the Nova music festival in the hours before the 7 October attack despite receiving prior warnings, according to an investigation by the Israeli army obtained by Haaretz.

Lieutenant Colonel Haim Cohen, commander of the Northern Brigade in the Gaza Division, visited the site just an hour before Hamas fighters stormed the border and attacked the festival.

Nova was the site of the largest massacre on 7 October, resulting in 378 people being killed and 44 others taken hostage.

The festival was held just three miles from the Gaza border, close to kibbutz Re'im.

The investigation found that around 50 police officers were present at the event, which was attended by more than 4,000 people.

Despite the light security presence, Cohen did not consider deploying extra personnel or cancelling the event outright.

The commander told investigators that he had no information that would have caused him to take greater precautions.

It was not disclosed what intelligence had been provided to him earlier that night.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted allowing a national inquiry into the widespread intelligence failures regarding the 7 October Hamas attack.

An internal investigation by Shin Bet found that the security agency ignored advanced warnings of the attack. No explanation for why it took the army some nine hours to respond has been provided.

Investigators heard that Cohen also failed to mention that the festival was taking place in situation briefings or prepare the army to secure the site.

This left it without information about its location, size and security arrangements, and unable to respond to the attack.

Former chief of staff Herzi Halevi dismissed Cohen in December 2024. He announced his retirement a few months later.

Palestinian fighters killed around 1,200 Israeli civilians and soldiers during the 7 October attack. More than 250 others were taken captive.

In response, Israel has launched a genocidal campaign in Gaza that has killed at least 63,746 people, left hundreds of thousands facing starvation, and left most of the territory in ruins.