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Thousands of people traveled to southern Israel to celebrate an open-air festival in the desert near Kibbutz Re’im. The festival took place to mark the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
But early Saturday morning the festive mood turned to fear of death. When rave music was replaced by rockets and sirens.
Palestinian militants not only fired thousands of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel, but also entered Israeli territory to kidnap civilians.
Numerous festival visitors also fell victim to the Hamas terrorists. They were surprised by the extremists and failed to reach safety in time.
Foreigners also among the dead
A day after the bloody attack it becomes clear: the situation on the ground is considerably worse than initially assumed. Not only were visitors kidnapped, but many of them were murdered on the spot.
Israeli security forces – who have now regained control of the area where the party took place – have apparently discovered more than 200 bodies there. Many of the dead are foreign nationals from Norway, the US, Canada or Germany.
As the research platform “Osint Defeder” on X, formerly Twitter, writes, citing Israeli sources, 250 bodies were found at the site.
According to Channel 12, volunteers from a local organization compiled a list of those who attended the party. Dozens of people are still reported missing, a volunteer said.
“The streets were blocked”
Videos of young people running away are circulating on social media. Tal Gibly was one of them. “We didn’t even have a place to hide because we were in an open area,” she told CNN.
“Everyone panicked and started packing their things.” When the participants reached the cars and tried to drive away, more chaos broke out. “The streets were closed. No one could leave. That’s when shots started being fired.” Gably and her friends ran for their lives. They reached a forest, where they were later picked up by a passing car.
Gili Yoskovich also survived the horrors. She told the BBC that she hid under a tree, shaking, for three hours until she was discovered by Israeli soldiers. “I saw people dying everywhere. I was very calm. I didn’t cry, I didn’t do anything.” Instead, she had already prepared herself for the fact that she was about to die. “I told myself, ‘It’s okay, just breathe and close your eyes. ‘”
Father fears for Noa Argamani
Two other young festivalgoers were not as lucky as Gably and Yoskovich. Israeli Noa Argamani (25) attended the festival with her friend Avinatan Or (30). A video shows the woman being kidnapped by Hamas fighters on a motorcycle. She stretches out her arms and begs for help. A few meters away, her boyfriend is taken away at gunpoint by the militias. It is unclear how the two victims are doing.
Argamani’s father Yaacov Argamani fears for his child. In an interview with the Israeli TV channel Channel 12, he burst into tears. “I couldn’t protect her at that moment.”
Is Shani Louk still alive?
German-Israeli Shani Louk (22) was also kidnapped at the festival. There is also a video of her circulating. Louk is lying face down in the back of a pickup truck. Surrounded by armed Hamas fighters. Her legs are unnaturally wrapped. Her tattoos are clearly visible. This is exactly what led to their identification.
“We recognized her by her tattoos,” her mother Ricarda Louk told Spiegel. She asked her daughter to go to a bunker on Saturday morning. The 22-year-old then responded that they were “looking for a place to hide.”
After that she heard nothing more. She only recognized her daughter from the kidnapping videos. The young woman’s death has not yet been confirmed. The mother does not want to give up hope yet. “She appears to be unconscious,” the mother said of the video. And: “I just don’t want to admit it yet.”
But one thing is clear: the parents have not heard from their daughter since Saturday morning. Your credit card has now been used in the Gaza Strip.
Footballers among the dead
However, one festivalgoer whose death has been confirmed is Lior Asulin. The 43-year-old Israeli was a famous football player. He was a striker at Hapoel Tel Aviv, among other things. “It is with great sadness that, after many hours of being reported missing, we learned that our former player Lior Asulin was murdered by terrorists at the party,” the club said.
The music festival was just one of many venues hit by the attack. On Sunday afternoon, Israeli authorities reported more than 600 deaths and more than 2,000 injuries. The Israeli government also confirmed that at least 100 people were kidnapped in the attacks in the country. Berlin assumes that German citizens are also among the kidnapped.
There were also deaths on the other side after Israel responded with counterattacks. At least 370 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip so far, according to the Health Ministry. About 2,200 were injured.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
