On Saturday, 7th October, Hamas fighters attacked Israel’s Supernova music festival, held in the desert near Kibbutz Re’im, close to the Gaza border. The attack has been reported as “the worst civilian massacre in Israeli history.”
Around 3500 people attended the Supernova festival, which was held to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. It began on Friday, 6th October and stretched into the weekend. According to videos and photographs taken on the ground, Hamas fighters descended into the festival in paragliders and by road.
The death count from the Supernova Sukkot Gathering currently sits at 260
The latest death toll stands at 830 Palestinians in Gaza and more than 900 people in Israel.
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 10, 2023
? LIVE updates: https://t.co/YSz706VHD9 pic.twitter.com/3A933komLQ
The attack began with rocket fire, which some survivors say was initially confused for music playing at the festival. Supernova takes place in the open desert, meaning those under attack had limited options to hide.
“We were hiding and running, hiding and running, in an open field – the worst place you could possibly be in that situation,” Al Jazeera has reported one survivor as saying.
Some attendees of the festival “played dead”, while others sought shelter in nearby orchards or underneath bushes. As reported by the BBC, there were around “fifty terrorists”, dressed in military uniforms. “They turned off the electricity and suddenly out of nowhere they come inside with gunfire, opening fire in every direction,” one survivor said.
The death count currently sits at 260, though authorities are expecting that number to rise. There have also been reports of hostages taken. German tourist, Shani Louk, is reported as missing, with her mother believing her to have been kidnapped.
In response to the Supernova attack, and the linked attacks also occurring over the weekend, Israel has launched a wave of air strikes on Gaza, which have reportedly already killed close to 500 people.
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