JERUSALEM (VINnews) — An Israeli man who struggled for nearly three years with the loss of his girlfriend in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on the Nova music festival was found dead Sunday at her gravesite in what family members described as an apparent suicide, according to Israeli news outlet Walla.

Bar Asraf, 30, of Sha’arei Tikva, was discovered after relatives began searching for him when he left a family wedding celebration. His family told Walla that he was found at the grave of his girlfriend, Liron Barda, and that emergency responders were unable to revive him.

Relatives told Walla that Asraf had struggled to cope with Barda’s death despite appearing to family and friends to be moving forward with his life. His sister said he regularly visited Barda’s grave, remained close to her family and never recovered from her loss.

Barda worked as the bar manager at the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im. According to accounts from her family and friends, she remained at the scene during the Hamas-led assault to provide first aid to wounded festivalgoers before she was killed.

Asraf’s family described the couple as childhood companions whose friendship grew into a close relationship. They said he honored Barda’s memory with a tattoo and stayed in regular contact with her family after her death.

His relatives also told Walla that Asraf attempted to drive toward the Nova festival during the Oct. 7 attack in hopes of reaching Barda but was turned back before arriving.

The tragedy has renewed attention to the lasting psychological impact of the Oct. 7 attack. Shiran Maor, chairman of the Israeli trauma support organization SafeHeart, said in a statement that trauma affects not only survivors but also partners, relatives and close friends who continue to cope with profound loss.

The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel killed about 1,200 people and resulted in the abduction of roughly 250 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. The Nova music festival was among the hardest-hit locations, where hundreds of attendees were killed and dozens were taken hostage.