Senior Israeli army officer who led the Gaza Division at the time declared the festival would be the last he would approve due to how close the site is to Gaza
Haaretz
The Israeli army, bowing to pressure by producers, decided to approve the extension of the Nova festival by one day despite objections by several senior army officials at the time, officials told Haaretz, extending the festival to October 7, when a massacre unfolded on the premises.
The proximity of the venue to Gaza was a source of concern for senior officials. For this reason, days before the massacre, the then-head of the Gaza Division, Brig. Gen. Avi Rosenfeld said that 2023 would be the last time that he would approve the festival. Security sources told Haaretz that Rosenfeld even said that, after the festival, he would draw up an orderly procedure for not approving mass events near the border.
Officials say producers threatened to petition the court against the Israeli army. Rosenfeld, along with several other senior officials, opposed the extension, as half of the number of soldiers usually stationed in the area were off due to the Simchat Torah holiday.
Southern Command believed that there would not be time to reinforce the forces, as the producers submitted the extension request to the army and police only a few days before the event.
After speaking with the Southern Command’s legal advisor, the army decided to approve the festival, because they were unable to present security reasons to explain why it could be held until Friday, but not Saturday. On the morning of October 5, official approval was given.
Shortly thereafter, 378 people were killed at the festival and 44 were taken hostage, kicking off Israel’s Operation Swords of Iron that is now almost 2 years along.
Police in Ofakim, who were responsible for securing the area, discussed the extension with army representatives participating by phone. However, neither the Gaza Division nor the Northern Brigade held any official discussions on the matter.
The army approved extending the festival without discussing the operational aspects of doing so or the details of the event’s security. Legally, a preliminary consultation was held, but no discussion or formal legal opinion was issued.
According to a military probe into the festival massacre, even though the extension had been approved in accordance with existing procedure, ‘gaps were found in the assignment of authority and responsibility in the military approval process.’
The probe stated that ‘commanders realized that without real cause, it was not possible to ban the event.’ In its summary, the probe stated that the army’s decision to approve the festival was ‘found to be reasonable.’
The IDF stated in response, ‘The IDF investigated the events of October 7 and what preceded them. The purpose of the investigations is to draw lessons for the continuation of the fighting, and most of them have been presented to the public with transparency.’
‘The investigation into the Nova festival was presented to the Nova community, to bereaved families, and to the public in full transparency in April 2025,’ it added. ‘It is a military investigation that focused on the sequence of events and the lessons learned within the army.’