At around 6:30am on Saturday, hundreds of of people attending an Israeli music festival near the Gaza Strip started to hear rockets. About thirty minutes later, Hamas militants started firing at them in what is described as the most sustained and coordinated assault inside the Middle Eastern country.
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Hamas is the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip. As per the Wall Street Journal, this is a densely-populated coastal Palestinian enclave. The organisation has ruled this area since 2007 and reportedly fought four wars against Israel since taking power.
According to CNN, the attack was but one of many locations hit on Saturday morning. The outdoor Nova Festival event, held in a rural farmland area near the Gaza-Israel border, was meant to be an all-night dance party celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
However, sirens and rockets filled the air early in the morning, says Tal Gibly, one of the festival attendees. ‘We didn’t even have any place to hide because we were at [an] open space. Everyone got so panicked and started to take their stuff.’
Gibly says the roadways became clogged when festival goers tried to flee in their cars. In a video circulating on social media, hundreds of attendees can be seen fleeing their cars when gunshots echoed in the background.
‘It was so terrifying and we didn’t know where to drive to not meet those evil … people,’ says Gibly, who eventually got into another car after she ran to the forest. ‘I have a lot of friends that got lost at the forest for a lot of hours and got shot like it was a range.’
As per Al Jazeera, at least 232 people have been killed and 1 600 wounded. Israel’s national rescue service reported that at least 250 people were killed and hundreds wounded, making this the deadliest attack in Israel in years.
In response, Israel’s military launched a series of air raids on Gaza. In the meantime, Israelis living around the Gaza Strip were warned to stay in their homes.
The attack comes in the wake of major clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters as tensions along Israel’s volatile border with Gaza grew. About 247 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces this year, as well as 32 Israelis and two foreign nationals in previous Palestinian attacks.
RIGHT NOW: Barzilai Medical Center—in southern Israel—was targeted by Hamas rocket fire.
Hours before the strike, Dr. Chezy Levy, the Director of the medical center, and his staff moved patients to safety.
This is indiscriminate fire against civilians. The IDF will not stand… pic.twitter.com/OS0HLo3CQU
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 8, 2023
The United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, condemned the ‘multi-front assault’ against Israeli towns and cities near Gaza. ‘These events have resulted in horrific scenes of violence and many Israeli fatalities and injuries, with many believed to be kidnapped inside the Strip. These are heinous attacks targeting civilians and must stop immediately.
‘I am deeply concerned for the well-being of all civilians. I am in close contact with all concerned to urge maximum restraint and call on all sides to protect civilians. This is a dangerous precipice and I appeal to all to pull back from the brink.’
I vehemently condemn the multi-front assault against Israeli towns & cities near #Gaza, & barrage of rockets reaching across central #Israel by Hamas militants. These are heinous attacks targeting civilians & must stop immediately.
🔗https://t.co/S8Dyvjxo6k
My full statement👇 pic.twitter.com/fz2aJWUsGW— Tor Wennesland (@TWennesland) October 7, 2023
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Picture: Screenshot of video by @IDF / X