ELKANA — Bar Asraf, 30, died by suicide on Saturday evening at the burial site of his girlfriend, Liron Barda. Asraf was found with a gunshot wound to the chest at a cemetery in Elkana in the West Bank.

Emergency medical teams were called to the scene, but Asraf was pronounced dead. His sister, Lihi, found his body next to Barda’s grave. Asraf drove to the cemetery on Shabbat, despite being observant of Shabbat traditions.

Liron Barda was murdered during the Hamas attack on the Nova Festival on Oct. 7, 2023. She was 26 years old at the time of her death and worked as a bartender at the festival.

Footage of Barda’s final moments showed her treating injured partygoers. Barda refused to leave the festival during the attack and stayed to care for the wounded.

"I spoke to her that morning, I asked her to leave the area — she refused, she said there were wounded people and she was staying," Avi Barda, father of Liron Barda, said. "This was Liron — I would have been surprised if she agreed to flee." Hamas took 44 people hostage during the attack on the Supernova Sukkot Gathering.

Asraf remained close to Barda’s family after her death, frequently visiting her parents. Asraf’s mother, Bracha, described Asraf and Barda as soulmates since childhood. Asraf was a resident of Sha’arei Tikva.

The Sha'ar Shomron Local Council issued condolences to the Asraf family. French-Jewish activist Jérémy Benhaïm shared news of Asraf’s death in a post on X.

Roei Shalev, 28, an Oct. 7 survivor, died by suicide in October 2025 near Netanya. Shalev was found dead in a burning car two years after witnessing his girlfriend’s execution by Hamas. PureSource News previously reported: Israel Strikes Hamas Leader Izz al-Din al-Haddad in Gaza.

The death of Asraf marks another loss among survivors of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, following the suicide of Shalev in October 2025. These events highlight the enduring trauma experienced by individuals who lived through the violence and lost loved ones. The pattern of suicides among survivors reflects the long-term psychological impact of the attacks, which included the murder of Liron Barda and the taking of 44 hostages by Hamas.

Why It Matters

The suicide of Asraf follows the earlier death of Shalev, marking a second fatality among survivors of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks within two years. These incidents illustrate the enduring psychological impact on individuals who witnessed violence or lost partners during the event. The pattern indicates that trauma from the attacks continues to result in loss of life long after the initial violence occurred.