Amit Cohen, 23: Was slated to start a new job the day after Supernova

Amit Cohen, 23, from Carmit, was murdered by Hamas terrorists while trying to flee the Supernova music festival on October 7.

He attended the rave with a large group of friends, and when the rocket fire began they split up while trying to flee. Amit fled with three of his friends, but when they realized there was a terror invasion in addition to the rockets they abandoned their car and hid in the bushes.

A vehicle driven by Yaniv Sarudi stopped to offer them a ride to escape, and Amit put his friends in while saying there was no room for him, according to a state eulogy.

They insisted he get in anyway, and he lay across a number of the passengers. Along the way, Amit was hit by a number of bullets, and while the car made it to the Re’im IDF base, he ultimately died of his wounds, as did Yaniv. The rest of the passengers survived.

Amit was buried in Meitar on October 9. He is survived by his parents, Osnat and Moshe, and his siblings Idan, Sapir, Yarden and Nitai.

The fourth child in his family, Amit lived in Beersheba until he was 18, attending religious schools in the city. His family then moved to Carmit, a small community north of Beersheba, next to Meitar.

For high school, he attended the Israeli Air Force’s “Techni” school in Beersheba, and in 2019 he enlisted in the IDF and was placed in the Air Force. He served on the Nevatim Air Force Base in the Negev as an electrical engineer responsible for the maintenance and safety of the F-35 squadron.

After he completed his army service, Amit moved to Eilat, where he worked at a Foot Locker branch, working his way up to the role of assistant manager, until the summer of 2023, when he transferred to a branch in Beersheba.

Amit had also completed a course in fiber optics and got a job with the Partner communications company — where he was slated to begin his new role on October 8, 2023.

His loved ones remembered him as sociable and enjoying to host friends. Though he grew up in a religious home, he moved away from observance while in the army but retained a connection to his faith, they said. He loved spoiling his nieces and nephews with gifts.

His brother, Yarden, told Ynet that Amit was always looking out for others.

“Every time he would bring new friends home, I never understood where he found so many,” said Yarden. “He always took care of everyone and he never said a bad word about anybody, he only spoke positively. He used to host all sorts of different people at our home. We will now continue in his path.”

His mother, Osnat, wrote on Instagram, “My Amit, our beloved.”

“I can’t believe it’s been five months since you’re not with us — not hearing your voice, not even getting one message from you,” she wrote in March 2024. “Your face and your scent are in my heart. I miss you so much, our prince, the love of my life.”

Osnat said, “I have so much love for you in my heart, my Amit, you are so missed. My Amit, you are deep in my heart, I think of you and cry and I can’t believe what happened to us. My heart is broken and shattered. My Amit, Mom is waiting for you at home.”

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