One Israeli said that being high on LSD during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7 prompted a spiritual revelation that helped him escape the carnage at a desert rave. Another is certain the drug MDMA made him more decisive and gave him the strength to carry his girlfriend as they fled the scene. A third said that experiencing the assault during a psychedelic trip has helped him more fully process the trauma.
Some 4,000 revelers gathered on the night of Oct. 6 at a field in southern Israel, mere miles from the Gaza Strip border, for the Tribe of Nova music festival. At dawn, thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed Israel’s defenses under the cover of a rocket barrage.
About 1,200 people were killed that day, the deadliest in Israeli history according to Israeli authorities, including 360 at the rave alone. Many of the ravers were under the influence of mind-altering substances such as LSD, MDMA and ketamine as they witnessed the carnage or fled for their lives.