Minute by minute, how the shocking massacre of at least 260 people by Hamas ... trends now
It was supposed to be a festival filled with merriment and music as thousands of care-free revellers danced in the desert under the stars.
Scheduled to coincide with the Jewish festival of Simchat Torah, Supernova was billed as a celebration of 'friends, love and infinite freedom'.
Instead, the weekend-long outdoor rave in southern Israel turned into the site of an unimaginable bloodbath.
Terrified revellers fled for their lives as they were surrounded by Hamas gunmen who descended on the site in paragliders, motorbikes and pick-up trucks.
It was several hours before help would arrive, leaving militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns free to carry out a murderous rampage.
At least 260 were killed in the massacre while many are still missing – probably dead or taken hostage by the bloodthirsty militants. As rescuers continue to sift through the deadly wreckage of the attack yesterday, the Mail recounts how the terror unfolded.
Shani Louk, 30, was seen struggling to reach her car as it was surrounded by armed terrorists. Her mother said she last spoke to her daughter after hearing rockets and alarms sounding in southern Israel and called to see if she'd made it to a secure location. Pictured: Tattoo artist Shani Louk at rave
Survivors of the attack, who posted videos of the ordeal to social media, explained how they were forced to hide under bushes to avoid the Hamas gunmen
As the party-goers scrambled toward their vehicles or took cover they found themselves surrounded as four pick-up trucks filled with militants and gunmen on motorcycles encircled the main road leading out of the venue. Pictured: A festival-goer who posted videos as she hid in undergrowth
Surrounded by trees in the desert, revellers had spent the night dancing to pumping trance music under the stars. They had begun arriving at the site – which featured multiple stages, a camping area and a food court – from 11pm after paying $100 for a ticket, blissfully unaware of the terror to come.
Three miles away at the border with Gaza, heavily-armed Hamas militants were preparing to embark on a callous multi-pronged attack – breaking through the fortified fence surrounding the territory using explosives to create gaps.
MURDEROUS ATTACK BEGINS AT SUNRISEFootage shows oblivious party-goers dancing at around 6.30am as a formation of Hamas militants on paragliders approaches in the sky some distance behind them.
Around the same time rockets were sent arcing over the heads of the ravers. Some did not initially notice the sound of the explosions and gunfire over the thumping music while others, used to rockets from Gaza, shrugged them off.
But when the music stopped the revellers hit the ground – a standard drill for those in southern Israel where fire exchanges over the border are frequent. A voice boomed over the loudspeakers across the site warning: 'Guys, we have red alert. Red alert.' A handful of police officers began breaking up the party and shouting 'Colour Red' – code for incoming rocket fire.
Michel Atias, 43, who was at the festival, said: 'It started off as a beautiful party, with great vibes and energy. But at around 6.30am, the rocket fire started. Many people panicked and started running to their cars.'
Briton Jake Marlowe, 26, who had been working as a security guard at the event, messaged friends later that morning saying he was still trying to get people out. At around 9am, the 26-year-old – who has since gone missing – left a brief voice note to a friend saying he had stayed behind with another pal he referred to as Shlomi. It said: 'Me and Shlomi are right by Gaza, bro... We are seeing it in front of our eyes, we are rounding up the people from the party now, we are on an ATV [quad bike] and we are telling everyone to get the f*** outta there.'
At least 260 were killed in the massacre while many are still missing – probably dead or taken hostage by the bloodthirsty militants. As rescuers continue to sift through the deadly wreckage of the attack yesterday, the Mail recounts how the terror unfolded
As the party-goers scrambled toward their vehicles or took cover they found themselves surrounded as four pick-up trucks filled with militants and gunmen on motorcycles encircled the main road leading out of the venue.
'We heard gunshots and later realised that the gunmen were targeting those who were trying to flee the party – they were waiting for them,' Mr Atias added. 'When I reached my car, the terrorists were still shooting. I saw a woman shot in the leg, I saw a car with bullets that had shattered the windshield.
'There was so much panic and the sound of the gunshots was getting closer and closer. We all understood this was a terror attack.'
Hanoch Hai Cohen, 32, from Tel Aviv said: 'They were shooting at people just a metre away... these were executions. We were like ducks in a firing range.' Vehicles were abandoned before the exit as cars were peppered with automatic gunfire and hit with rocket-propelled grenades.
Shye Weinstein, 26, who recently moved to Tel Aviv from Toronto, said: 'I remember one specific car, the person in the car was in the front seat. They had tried to get away and couldn't and they were shot in their car.'
Chilling social media footage showed
