Roadside bomb shelter in Southern Israel meant to protect people from rockets shot from Gaza, but became death traps during the October 7, 2023 massacre by terrorists.
Photo: Christine Curtis
Visiting the site of the Nova Music Festival October 7 massacre was not on our priority list. Who would want to go to a place where hundreds of people were shot, butchered, mutilated, gang raped? Just thinking about the brutality that occurred there made us sick. But my dear cousins had planned an entire day there. We admire and respect them deeply so we couldn't say no. We knew it was important to go.
We left early for the two-hour drive south, my two cousins, a partner, my husband and me. The partner, also our driver, had made a detailed itinerary of 5 stops across the Western Negev region.
As we got closer, one cousin said, “We are now on the road the terrorists drove on.” Route 232 runs through a quiet agricultural area, connecting little towns and kibbutzim. Along the road I noticed multiple small, colorfully painted concrete box structures. They are bomb shelters, built to protect people from rockets fire from the nearby Gaza Strip. But on October 7, those shelters became traps. They were never meant to offer protection from a ground assault. As we sped past, I couldn't stop thinking about the terrified young people who crowded inside, running from the festival, seeking safety. Trapped, many were slaughtered or taken hostage as terrorists hurled grenades and opened fire into the cramped spaces.
We hadn’t even gotten out of the car yet and already we were deeply shaken.
Next: Standing at the Nova Site
Inside a roadside bomb shelter in Southern Israel. Photo: Alan Markowitz
