Uriel Baruch and Michael Yoav
On Friday evening, Uriel Baruch and Michael Yoav arrived at the Nova festival. As the attack unfolded, they phoned their wives-first calmly, then amid gunfire, and finally, with only screams in Arabic. Days later, their families learned Michael had been murdered and Uriel abducted. In October 2025 his body was returned to Israel
The Last Photo: Michael Yoav And Uriel Baruch At The Nova Party
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Uriel Baruch (35) and Michael Yoav (46), friends and neighbors from Giv'on HaHadasha in the Binyamin region, arrive at the Re'im parking lot in the evening and dance at the Nova party until dawn. In a friend’s WhatsApp group, they share a photo from the party. At 6:29 a.m., the attack from Gaza Strip begins—gunfire and sirens echo across the festival grounds. At first, Uriel and Michael stay at the scene, but about fifteen minutes later, they decide to drive home. As they get into the car, Michael calls his wife, Ines, to say they’re safe and on their way. Uriel, behind the wheel, jokes in the background: “Why wake Ines so early on a Saturday?”
About ten minutes after the initial call, Michael phones his wife, Ines, again. This time, he sounds increasingly anxious and tells her there are terrorists on the roads. Gunfire can be heard in the background, and just before hanging up, Michael yells to Uriel: “Drive fast—they’re shooting at us!”
Ines steps outside and sees her neighbor Racheli, Uriel’s wife, standing in the yard. Racheli tells her she called Michael’s phone, but when the call was answered, she heard shouting in Arabic. She tried calling again, but there was no response. At that point, both women notify their families that Uriel and Michael are unreachable. They continue trying to call their husbands, but the calls go unanswered
Throughout the day, the Yoav and Baruch families repeatedly try to contact Uriel and Michael, but their calls go unanswered. Around noon, they track the locations of Uriel and Michael's phones, both near the Miflasim curve on Route 232, close to the Black Arrow Memorial. The data also shows that Uriel’s phone entered and exited the Gaza Strip three times. In retrospect, the families realize the phone was likely stolen that morning by someone who crossed in and out of Israeli territory
As the hours pass, both families remain unable to reach Uriel and Michael. On Saturday night, Ines—Michael’s wife—arrives at the Russian Compound in Jerusalem with their children, Shir (13) and Eli (22), to provide DNA samples. At the same time, Uriel’s brother, Roei, submits a DNA sample at the Lahav 433 police unit in Lod
By Sunday, the families still have no clue as to Uriel and Michael’s fate. They dispatch relatives to hospitals across the country in search of the two. Other family members travel to Shura Base, a military facility for victim identification. By the end of the day, the families remain without any new information
The families receive a video recorded by Hamas terrorists and circulated on Telegram. The footage shows Uriel lying next to the vehicle, while Michael sits inside, shot. Both appear motionless. This is the first piece of information the families have received since their last phone call on Saturday
On Thursday afternoon, representatives of Giv'on HaHadasha Council arrive to inform Ines that Michael was murdered on October 7th and that his body has been identified at the Shura facility. His funeral is held later that day at the Modi'in cemetery
Michael Yoav
Approximately three weeks after October 7th, official representatives visit the Baruch family to inform them that, based on assessments, Uriel is believed to have been abducted to the Gaza Strip. They stress that this conclusion is not definitive, although strong indications support it
Uriel Baruch
Uriel's family launches a determined effort to bring him home. 172 days after receiving the initial notification of his abduction, they are informed of newly surfaced footage of Uriel from October 7th. Military officials visit the family and, citing expert assessments, state that Uriel likely did not survive his injuries. The family decides to observe a Shiva (mourning period). A month later, Uriel’s brother Roei meets with the head of the Medical Division at the Ministry of Defense to review the video. Following the meeting, the family begins to question the determination of Uriel’s death. Their fight to bring him home continues
Mural of Uriel and Michael's Last Photo, Painted on the Wall Opposite Their Home
Shir (14), the daughter of Michael, presents an invention she developed at a Weizmann Institute conference as part of a scientific excellence program—a machine designed to simulate the long jump in the Olympics. She dedicates her creation to the memory of her father
Shir Yoav Presents the Machine She Built at a Weizmann Institute Conference
As part of the agreement to end the war, Uriel's body is returned to Israel
More than two years after he was murdered and abducted, Uriel Baruch is laid to rest in Jerusalem
המתחם האינטראקטיבי של מפת העוטף ב-7 באוקטובר 2023 נועד לתעד ולהנציח את האירועים שהתרחשו ביישובי עוטף עזה באמצעות תיעודים מזמן אמת, דקה אחר דקה.
הפרויקט בהליכי בנייה ותחקיר, בשלבים הבאים יתווספו נקודות רבות על המפה, לרבות בסיסי צה”ל, הרחבת אזורי המסיבות והדרכים המובילות לעוטף.
לפרטים נוספים וליצירת קשר לחצו כאן
אזהרה: התוכן מכיל תיאורים ותיעודים קשים לצפייה