Aliona astapenko

Aliona, an officer at the Ofakim Police Station, volunteered for security duty at the Nova music festival in Re’im. On the morning of the Hamas attack, when missiles began firing from Gaza, she and her fellow officers started evacuating the partygoers toward the exit routes.

During the evacuation, the officers received reports of gunfire near the Re’im Kibbutz. They drove to the location and found a car by the side of the road with a wounded man lying next to it. Aliona and another officer, Sagi Abitbul, approached the vehicle and provided first aid. Inside the car, they discovered the body of another partygoer.

While they were assisting the wounded man, two Hamas vehicles carrying six terrorists each arrived and started firing RPGs and throwing grenades at the officers, wounding Aliona. A passing helicopter distracted the terrorists, who failed to hit it with an anti-tank missile as they attempted to take cover. As the terrorists fled, Officer Sagi discovered that Aliona had succumbed to her injuries.