A trance music festival was one of the first targets for Hamas militants as they launched their attack on Israel, shooting into the crowd and grabbing hostages.
Israeli soldiers on Sunday patrol the grounds of a rave that was one of the deadliest scenes of Hamas's recent attacks, near the town of Netivot in southern Israel. The first rockets were fired just before dawn, arcing through the sky over thousands of revelers who had been dancing through the night at a trance music festival — billed as an event celebrating “friends, love and infinite freedom.”Initially, some of the ravers didn’t notice the sound of the explosions over the thumping music.
At least 600 people were killed across the country in the surprise assault. Dozens are still missing, according to the Israel Defense Forces; Israeli media has put the figure at more than 100. Hamas says hostages are being held in tunnels and other secure locations in Gaza. It remains unclear how many of them were taken from the festival. Organizers have not responded to requests for comment.Israeli forces began to collect the dead from the site of the rave on Sunday, near Kibbutz Reim.
The festival site was just three miles from the fence that divides Israel from the Gaza Strip and its besieged millions. The ravers were told not to bring firearms or sharp objects onto the festival grounds. They were tired and defenseless, trapped in a wide-open area that offered few hiding places.“We started running; we didn’t know where to go,” Ben Haim said. “Nobody knew what to do.”
“We stayed silent and tried to reach the police and people to help us. The police said they can’t help us because too many people were kidnapped.”Noa Argamani, 25, was also hiding in the bushes with her 29-year-old boyfriend Avinatan Or, who messaged Argamani’s father around 10 a.m. to let him know they were safe.
Argamani had debated not going to the festival, but not because of security concerns. “If she knew it was tense right now, then I think she wouldn’t have gone, but we knew nothing,” Marciano said. “She wasn’t sure because it was far and expensive. I told her, ‘Go, you’re young.’ I regret that.”A later video appears to show Argamani being held captive, sitting on cushions in a room with a tiled floor, sipping from a bottle of water. “At least we know she’s alive,” Marciano said.
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