October 7 · Personal story
Uriel Baruch
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Nova music festival near Re’im
Current outcome
Returned for burial · October 14, 2025
His remains were identified and returned to Israel.
01
Life before October 7
Uriel Baruch was born in Kfar Saba and grew up as the third of four brothers. His family later moved to Jerusalem’s Ramat Shlomo neighborhood, where he attended religious schools. He worked in construction, selling building supplies to contractors. Techno music and festivals were central interests; he met Racheli at a festival, and they married and made their home in Giv’on HaHadasha. They raised two sons, Shalev and Ofek. Racheli later wrote that they felt an immediate bond and that their differences made them a whole: he sought parties, dancing and friends, while she preferred home, work and routine. His father-in-law remembered him as cheerful and present-minded.
02
Abduction
On 7 October 2023, Uriel attended the Nova music festival near Re’im with his friend Michel Yoav. When the attack began, they left in Uriel’s car and tried to drive away. At Mefalsim junction, gunmen opened fire on the vehicle. Video later showed Michel dead in the car and Uriel wounded nearby. His family later found footage showing him injured but did not know his fate.
03
Captivity
On 26 March 2024, the IDF informed Uriel’s family that new intelligence showed he had been killed on 7 October and his body had been taken to Gaza.
04
Return
Uriel’s remains were returned to Israel on 14 October 2025 and identified. After two years without a funeral, the family could bring him home for burial.
05
Aftermath
Uriel was buried in Jerusalem on 19 October 2025. His wife Racheli, sons Shalev and Ofek, parents Naomi and Amir, and brothers Roee, Idan and Ohad were named among his surviving family. The family had sat shiva after the IDF confirmed his death but waited for his body before holding a funeral. At the funeral, Naomi remembered a devoted father whose eyes lit up when he spoke with his sons; Amir described him as the first to help, bringing goodwill and a smile.