Kidnappings and horror: attendees' experiences at a festival in Israel that was attacked by Hamas

More and more terrifying stories are emerging about what people at an open-air music festival near the Gaza Strip experienced when Hamas began attacking Israel.

Hundreds of people went from happiness to panic in a matter of seconds. The partygoers stopped listening to the music and began screaming and fleeing the scene after being chased by gunshots.

“We were alerted by a ‘red siren’ [rocket warning]. Chaos ensued, especially with vehicles trying to exit. Then the gunshots started, and we began to run. We’re still hiding and awaiting rescue,” said Daniel, one of those present.

In an interview, a woman named Esther said that while she was trying to flee with a friend, several people shot at her car and left it completely destroyed. The woman and her partner received help from a man who had a jeep. However, the driver was shot shortly after, and the jeep fell into a hole. Esther and her friend decided to play dead until some soldiers took them to a health center.

Another partygoer said he and his friend were trapped in a vehicle for three hours after being injured. “He saw his friend die in front of his eyes,” said the young man’s mother.

Parents desperate for signs of life from their children

Many young people who attended the party ended up in areas invaded by Hamas, and although some of them managed to communicate with their parents and even share their location with them, others still remain missing.

“Every half an hour, I get a text from my daughter telling me, ‘Dad, come get me, they’re going to kill me,’ or, ‘Dad, I love you if I don’t see you again (...)I just feel like I can’t do anything to save her,” a distraught father told The Times of Israel.

Many partygoers hid in basements or other shelters, but the risk remains as armed terrorists continue to patrol the areas to murder and kidnap civilians.

“I’m in a state of managed panic right now because of this red dot. That’s an improvement over the unmanaged panic of two hours ago,” said Rachel Sadeh, mother of one of the young people who attended the party and managed to communicate about his location.

German woman kidnapped and murdered by terrorists

Action and Communication on the Middle East (ACOM) reported that a 30-year-old German woman, identified as Shani Louk, was captured by Hamas and tortured to death.

The terrorists stripped her naked, murdered her and displayed her “like a hunting trophy,” ACOM shared on X.

Through social networks, the independent organization that promotes the relationship between Spain and Israel has also published other cases of rapes and kidnappings by terrorists.