October 7 · Personal story
Orion Hernandez Radoux
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Nova music festival near Re’im
Current outcome
Returned for burial · May 24, 2024
His body was recovered in Jabaliya, Gaza, and returned to Israel for burial on May 24, 2024.
01
Life before
Orion was French-Mexican, a music producer and father to a young daughter. His mother, Marie-Pascale, recalled that he had loved music and organizing events. He moved through the summer festival circuit with friends and, in September 2023, was in Greece working on his own music festival. Two days before the October 7 attack, he traveled to Israel with friends to meet Shani, his partner. His mother remembered a child who was independent and free-spirited from an early age, never afraid to explore. She also recalled him asking for a Chucky doll for Christmas and searching for scorpions and spiders.
02
October 7
On October 7, Orion and Shani were at the Nova festival near Re’im with their friend Keshet Casarotti. When attackers began shooting, the three tried to flee in a car. Gunmen fired on the vehicle and separated Orion and Shani from Keshet. The Israeli military later assessed from reliable information that Orion was killed that morning, at Mefalsim or shortly afterward while being taken toward Jabaliya. His body was taken to Gaza.
03
Captivity
On October 9, Orion’s family received a call from someone using his phone. His mother later recalled that the caller said Orion was alive, with them and unharmed. The family had no further news from that caller. In January, his father repeated a report that Orion’s phone had been used to say he was alive and might be held for an exchange; the family continued hoping. His mother lit a candle for him each day and described uncertainty about a child’s life or death as the worst feeling. Later, the military said Orion had in fact been killed on October 7.
04
Return
On May 24, 2024, Israeli forces recovered Orion’s body during an overnight operation in Jabaliya, northern Gaza. His parents asked for his body to be brought to Mexico. His mother later described how the Mexican and French authorities and consulates arranged the transfer, after more than seven months of uncertainty.
05
Aftermath
Orion’s mother wanted him remembered as a free spirit, a warrior who feared nothing and left a lasting mark on people who knew him. She also described the child who loved frightening films, asked for a Chucky doll and searched for scorpions. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum called the return of Orion, Hanan Yablonka and Michel Nisenbaum for burial “another rupture” for their families.