Saved by Stillness: Mazal Tazazo survived 7 October Nova Massacre by playing dead

On October 7, 2023, amid the music and joy of the Nova music festival in Israel, terror descended. What began as a celebration of life turned into a massacre that claimed the lives of hundreds. But among the blood-soaked earth and the screams of the dying, a miracle of survival emerged — one carved out of silence, fear, and unthinkable courage.

Mazal Tazazo, an Ethiopian-Israeli woman, was one of the few who lived to tell the tale — because she played dead. “I will never forget that day because I saw my friends executed and I only survived because I played dead,” she said, her voice trembling and her eyes heavy with memories too painful to bear. “Sometimes, I think of committing suicide, but I live today because of my son. He is my hope.”

Mazal’s story is one of unimaginable horror. As gunfire rained down around her, she found herself trapped among the bodies of her closest friends — Danielle and Yochai — their lives cruelly cut short beside her.

“I kept my eyes shut,” she recounted. “One of the terrorists walked up to me. He turned my face. I held my breath. He stared at me — and let go.”

The nightmare did not end there. One gunman struck her with the butt of a rifle, fracturing her finger. Around her, the chaos deepened. Bullets screamed through the air. Cars exploded. The festival grounds became a hellscape. “I was so terrified,” she said, holding back tears.

“I thought I was already dead. But the worst part was not knowing what would come next. I kept praying. I kept praying someone would come.” As the gunfire momentarily faded, Mazal seized a desperate opportunity. She spotted a nearby vehicle and, summoning every ounce of strength, ran for her life. She hid inside.

Eventually, rescuers arrived. Now safe but deeply scarred, Mazal continues to wrestle with the trauma of that day. “Every night, I see them,” she whispered. “Their faces. My friends. The terror. I ask myself why I survived when they didn’t.”

Yet even in her pain, there is a glimmer of hope — a light that keeps her going: her son. “He is the reason I am still alive,” she said. “He gives me purpose.”

Mazal’s survival is more than a story of tragedy; it is a testament to the strength of the human spirit in the face of the darkest evil. It is a reminder that behind every statistic is a beating heart, a grieving soul, and, sometimes, a miracle.

In her eyes, there is sorrow — but also the quiet strength of a woman who refused to let terror silence her completely. In a country still mourning, Mazal Tazazo stands as both witness and warrior — for her son, for her fallen friends, and for the hope that peace may one day return.

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