Israel enforces moral justice, punishing betrayal amid tragedy, as terror’s aftermath exposes humanity’s darkest choices.
The Be’er Sheva Magistrate’s Court has sentenced Meir Hajaj and Golan Jerbi to lengthy prison terms and heavy fines after convicting them of aggravated theft for looting belongings of victims murdered at the Nova Music Festival massacre site.
According to the amended indictment, which the defendants admitted in full, the two arrived at the festival grounds on October 8, 2023—just one day after the Hamas terror attack that murdered at least 347 civilians and 17 police officers. Instead of recoiling from the devastation, they exploited national shock and grief to steal personal property from the dead.
Prosecutor Adar Bachar emphasized the unprecedented severity of the crime, stating that the defendants “took advantage of the darkest moment in Israel’s history” and acted with calculated moral indifference. The court heard that the theft was motivated by greed, with emphasis placed on items of high economic value.
Presiding Judge Amir Doron described the offense as a profound ethical collapse, writing that the defendants “trampled every element of basic human compassion,” committing their crimes while “the blood of the victims still cried out from the ground.”
He further ruled that stealing from a massacre site constitutes not only a crime against individual victims, but a wound to Israeli society itself—undermining trust, solidarity, and shared moral boundaries.
The court sentenced each defendant to 38 months in prison, a suspended sentence, and a 45,000-shekel fine, reinforcing Israel’s determination to uphold justice even amid national trauma.
