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Trauma for Oct. 7 survivors and their families endures: ‘It’s never going to go back to normal — for anybody’

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Cite

Lewak, D. (2026, October 7). Trauma for Oct. 7 survivors and their families endures: ‘It’s never going to go back to normal — for anybody’. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/07/world-news/oct-7-survivors-struggling-with-joblessness-and-ptsd/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-10-07 · by Doree Lewak

Quick Summary

The article discusses the ongoing trauma experienced by survivors and families affected by the Hamas massacre on October 7, focusing on individuals like El-Hai and Evyatar David who continue to struggle with PTSD, depression, and loss of stability in their lives three years later. Survivors face challenges such as job instability, relationship breakdowns, and difficulties in rebuilding normalcy amid ongoing mental health issues and societal pressures. The Tribe of Nova Foundation and other organizations are working to provide support for these survivors, but many still feel isolated and unable to fully recover from the event's impact.
Written by AI on 2026-10-07, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Three years after October 7, 2023, the world continues to grapple with the profound impact of Hamas's attack on southern Israel. On that day, Palestinian fighters breached the Gaza border, killing more than 1,200 Israelis and taking 251 hostages into Gaza. The assault remains a defining moment in Israeli history, leading to significant changes in leadership and security policies.

In the lead-up to the attacks, Israelis were focused on internal politics rather than external threats. Following the massacre, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government faced severe criticism but he remains in power despite overseeing what many consider the worst security failure in Israel’s history. The attack led to mass protests demanding the release of hostages and widespread global condemnation of Hamas.

The incident reshaped Israeli society and its approach to security, with leaders acknowledging that external threats were underestimated prior to October 7. Meanwhile, families like Sigal Manzuri continue to advocate for peace and remember their loved ones lost in the attacks, highlighting the human cost behind the statistics.

Written for “Oct 7 Attacks Anniversary” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 43 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Oct 7 Attacks Anniversary
Politics · 44 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
The Sydney Morning Herald
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 3 of 56 claims Outlet record 61/100
Toronto Star
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 31 claims Outlet record 64/100
ABC News (AU)
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 40 claims Outlet record 68/100
CBS News
Hedges 1 of 43 claims Outlet record 66/100
The Guardian
Hedges 2 of 43 claims Outlet record 66/100
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 66/100
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 66/100
Deutsche Welle
⚖️ Leans strongly left Hedges 3 of 54 claims Outlet record 95/100
“The articles discuss ongoing trauma and mental health issues related to past attacks but describe different aspects of a broader situation rather than the exact same incident.”
The Independent
Hedges 0 of 36 claims Outlet record 59/100
“The articles discuss ongoing trauma and effects of the October 7 Hamas attacks, but they are not reporting on a single specific incident occurring at the same time and place.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
39
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 39 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
44
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-07 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 15511 article(s) · 35 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 35 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Doree Lewak
9 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 “If they could survive, I thought I must go back to spread the light.
🔮 These changes may be presented as small design details, but they evoke harmful stereotypes and can normalize antisemitism,” Liora Rez, founder and executive director StopAntisemitism, told The Post.
🔮 If she lost me, she couldn’t go on.”
🔮 I would go to work every day, I had a girlfriend, and occasionally I would go to a festival.
🔮 “It’s a true miracle,” Yigal told The Post, adding that as life was cruelly stolen, new life can miraculously emerge – a testament that evil will not win.
🔮 I thought that if we don’t survive, at least the world will know we did our best to try,” recalled Aimee, who shared the image in real time with family abroad — who then sent it to the media.
🔮 Popular culinary personality Rami Tal, who moved to Tel Aviv from Australia, has been enjoying fame with his show “Cooking with Rami.” But the transplant – a local heartthrob who’s single – insisted he may be changing tactics to prevent his love life from going down the drain.
🔮 Latham wrote the dismayed scribe that her “best bet is to try and find a sympathetic venue” and offered her a $100 kill fee, which she declined. “There was simply no way to have a quiet chat with him, and if you had challenged him forcefully, I expect it would’ve gotten ugly very fast,” Latham wrote.
🔮 “Do you think I would have liked to have given up piano playing, golfing, tennis and skiing – things I loved?” asked Summers.
Also by Doree Lewak
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 9 articles by Doree Lewak →

Topics

Hamas Israel Jewish Nova The Post

Subjects

Hamas ORG · 3× El-Hai PERSON · 2× Nova ORG · 2× The Post ORG · 2× Evyatar David PERSON · 1× Israel GPE · 1× Jewish NORP · 1× New York Post GPE · 1× Seth Davis PERSON · 1× the Tribe of Nova Foundation ORG · 1×

Narrative

Evyatar David, the former hostage who appeared on the Aug. 3, 2025, New York Post cover shown emaciated and forced to dig his own grave, wrote last month about the struggles he still deals with in the aftermath of his 738 days trapped in Hamas hell. “Surviving captivity is one thing, but complete rehabilitation is a different battle,” detailed the 25-year-old who’s living with PTSD and flashbacks.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-07
🔮 I would go to work every day, I had a girlfriend, and occasionally I would go to a festival.

Claims (39 extracted, 0 hedged)

I would go to work every day, I had a girlfriend, and occasionally I would go to a festival. asserted
I → go → festival
Life was normal — I liked my life,” the 32-year-old who planned to study to become an insurance agent, professed to The Post. asserted
who → like → Post
“Now I’m alone — I lost my job, lost my girlfriend, lost friends … asserted
I → ’m → friends
It’s been three years since the Hamas massacre, but for many survivors and their families, the terror and trauma persist. asserted
terror → persist → survivors
For some, it’s made supporting themselves difficult, if not impossible. asserted
supporting → make → themselves
“People think, ‘OK, you survived, you’ll go back to life,’” said El-Hai. asserted
Hai → think → life
“Everything changed, and I’m learning how to live with that.” asserted
I → change → that
During the harrowing hours hiding in the brush of a forest while evading Hamas capture, El-Hai dodged gunfire, saw brutal death and discovered terrorists celebrating before finally finding his way to safety in a nearby village. asserted
terrorists → hide → village
Of the two friends who survived the harrowing ordeal with him on that fateful day, only one recently returned to his job. asserted
one → survive → job
“At this age, you want stability, to meet someone and build a home and family life,” he said, noting how easy it is to feel rudderless in the search for purpose again. asserted
it → want → purpose
Bad actors demonizing the Jewish state and rewriting the bloody massacre exacerbate the suffering, along with the multi-front war Israel is still fighting. asserted
Israel → demonize → war
“The world hates me and wants me dead, there’s war — it doesn’t end,” he added. asserted
he → hat → me
“That’s what people don’t understand — you think, ‘Tomorrow it’s going to end,’ but it doesn’t.” asserted
it → ’ → what
Evyatar David, the former hostage who appeared on the Aug. 3, 2025, New York Post cover shown emaciated and forced to dig his own grave, wrote last month about the struggles he still deals with in the aftermath of his 738 days trapped in Hamas hell. “Surviving captivity is one thing, but complete rehabilitation is a different battle,” detailed the 25-year-old who’s living with PTSD and flashbacks. asserted
who → appear → PTSD
“I want to win this battle as well.” asserted
I → want → battle
Seth Davis, the CEO of the Tribe of Nova Foundation, an organization started in the wake of Oct. 7 with a mission to “save lives, help heal and empower the community [and] prevent suicides,” said that many people mistakenly think that if they keep moving they can outrun the trauma. asserted
they → start → trauma
“Even after three years, the anxiety runs deeper,” he told The Post. asserted
he → run → Post
“People think it’s time to move on, but sometimes people have more severe issues than they had a year ago — and we don’t know what’s going to happen next year asserted
what → think → issues
Many of those at the Nova festival were young people in their 20s just getting their footing, and he notes that a number of them have had to move back home and live with their families. asserted
number → get → families
Luckily, he said, “parents are getting tools to help cope with the children and mitigate suicide.” asserted
parents → say → suicide
Eric Goldstein, the CEO of the UJA Federation of New York, noted that only 20% of Nova survivors have maintained more than three months of continuous work, and says there’s an “urgent need” for more support. asserted
% → note → support
Early next year, a 10-acre rehabilitative center called UJA New York Nova House is set to open near Tel Aviv. asserted
center → call → Aviv
Shye Klein, 29, escaped balaclava-clad terrorists aiming machine guns and witnessed dozens upon dozens of lifeless, bullet-ridden and bloody bodies. asserted
Klein → escape → bodies
Before the attacks, he worked as an event photographer, but now he struggles with the job. asserted
he → work → job
Working events with big crowds and loud music can trigger anxiety, even in seemingly innocuous moments. “Maybe a DJ will stop the music by accident and my heart races and I think, ‘OMG, where are the terrorists?’ asserted
terrorists → work → accident
It’s too stressful and nerve-wracking.” asserted
It → ’ → ?
He noted that a “large number” of Nova survivors are homeless, out-of-work and living in their cars. asserted
number → note → cars
“Many people can’t return to their jobs, and there’s no financial support,” Klein said. asserted
people → return → jobs
“People who were already at risk [strained family relationships or lost] fell into a worse place after Oct 7.” asserted
who → strain → Oct
He added, “People keep warning signs very well hidden.” asserted
People → add → signs
In the first two years after the attacks, he found a bleak workaround when work and housing were an issue. asserted
work → find → workaround
“I started speaking to different communities for the first two years just to have a guaranteed place to eat and sleep and live,” he admitted. asserted
he → start → place
“There’s nothing normal about my life since Oct. 7,” added Klein, who’s accepted his diagnosis of PTSD as a lifelong designation. asserted
who → ’ → designation
“It’s never going to go back to normal — for anybody.” asserted
It → go → anybody
Irit Ben Arye is an Israeli mom of eight whose husband, Haim, killed himself about two weeks after Oct. 7. asserted
husband → kill → Oct.
The 56-year-old bus driver, who rushed to evacuate shell-shocked victims from the devastated Kibbutz Be’eri on Oct. 7, never recovered from the trauma he witnessed. asserted
he → rush → trauma
Now, his 52-year-old widow counsels other women who have lost husbands to suicide in the wake of Oct. 7. asserted
who → counsel → Oct.
“People are dealing with a lot of stress and emotions, fear and trauma,” she said. asserted
she → deal → stress
“It’s not over.” asserted
It → ’ → ?
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