The personal belongings of festival-goers are seen at the site of an attack on the Nova Festival by Hamas gunmen from Gaza, near Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel. Photo: Reuters/Ronen Zvulun

I had a harrowing experience visiting southern Israel, and the site of the Nova music festival, where nearly 400 people were killed and approximately 40 were kidnapped by Hamas. It’s an empty field, with nothing around, bordered by tiny villages and trees. A one lane road approaches the empty barren field. One can imagine the terror these revelers felt at 6:30 AM, with terrorists arriving and machine gun fire all over. The bomb shelters remain — but they weren’t built to withstand terrorists entering them and shooting.

The site has become a place to visit in Israel; Israelis flock to the site to remember, as do IDF groups, families, and media. In time, this site will be a memorial like Babi Yar, or other places where Jews were slaughtered in history.

Standing at Nova, one hears the sounds of war — loud explosions are heard and planes fly overhead, as we are very close to the Gaza border. The only difference between now and the past massacre of Jews, is that now we have a state, we have an army, and there is a price to be paid for shedding Jewish blood.

All over the site, there are memorials and tributes to those slaughtered,

“Even if we won’t meet again in life, all the time you are with us in our hearts,” one sign reads. Another says, “Be sure to keep your light bright and shining.”

These were people who just wanted to celebrate life with their friends, enjoy listening to music, and to love one another — and they were slaughtered for the crime of being Jewish.

There was a family member crying at Nova, a young woman, the sister of someone who was killed at Nova. She had come to the site to “visit” her sister.

At the site, Rami Davidian — a hero of Nova who saved countless lives that day — told me his story. He showed me where bodies were mutilated, where women were tied to trees, and where the lucky ones escaped from. And from heroes like Rami, we also remember Jewish strength and resiliency amid horrific times.

Standing at the Nova festival, seeing the barren field where only a few months ago hundreds were killed, it’s very clear that the only possible answer today in February 2024 is the complete destruction of Hamas. During the Holocaust, the Nazis were roundly defeated and eliminated, and so too today, there is no other option but to completely defeat a regime that wants to kill every Jew that it can.

Ronn Torossian is an entrepreneur and philanthropist.