Video shows music festival attendees fleeing site amid attack by Hamas militants

The Hamas group of militants started firing a barrage of rockets into Israel in the wee hours of Saturday (Oct 7). The attack, from air and land, started around 6:30 am local time. The horrifying attack in parts of the country held Israel by surprise, with the killing and abducting of hundreds of civilians and soldiers.

One such site of terror was the Israeli music festival running near the Gaza-Israeli border. The gunmen left nearly 300 revellers dead at the scene while multiple attendees were taken hostage, as seen in social media videos.

Music festival turnedinto horror show as Hamas militants attack the site

Several Israelis and foreigners were attending the outdoor Nova festival event in rural farmland near the border when Hamas took them by surprise. The event was supposed to be an all-night dance party, celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. But as the dawn broke, partygoers began hearing sirens and rockets.

“We didn’t even have any place to hide because we were at [an] open space,” Tal Gibly, one of the attendees, told CNN.

“Everyone got so panicked and started to take their stuff.”

Explosions can be heard in the video taken by Gibly of her and friends walking through the quickly emptying concert grounds, roughly two miles from the border.

Disclaimer: WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of photos and videos shared on social media.

When attendees tried to flee, militants started shooting them in the leg to stop them from fleeing. As many fled in their cars all at once, Gibly said the roadways became clogged and no one could move.

In videos Gibly took, an Israeli military vehicle is seen driving against the flow of traffic as people try to make way for it. Someone outside the car is heard screaming: “Go! Go forward! Go forward!”

That’s when Gibly said she and her friends panicked, abandoned the car, and began running.

Hostages taken to Gaza

Details of hostages from the attack are beginning to emerge as family members recognise relatives in videos circulating from Gaza.

In one such video that went viral, an Israeli woman and her boyfriend, identified as Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or, who had attended the festival, were shown being kidnapped.

In it, Or was seen nearby as the motorcycle carrying Argamani rode past, and he was eventually apprehended by several men, and made to walk with his hands held behind his back.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE