Families in Israel mourn as loved ones remain missing after Hamas attack
Relatives in Israel are still desperately searching for their missing loved ones after Saturday’s bloodbath at a music festival in the Israeli Negev desert, carried out by Hamas militants.
The attack, which occurred near the Gaza Strip border, was part of a broader assault by Palestinian fighters who crossed the border.
This assault, coupled with rocket attacks into southern Israel, resulted in the largest single loss of civilian life in Israel’s history, with over 700 people dead.
In retaliation, Israel has launched airstrikes on Gaza, resulting in over 500 deaths.
According to the ZAKA rescue service, 260 people were killed at the Israeli festival grounds alone. More than 100 individuals have been taken hostage in the Gaza Strip, with many likely from the Supernova electronic music festival.
Ahuwa Maizel, whose daughter Adi is missing, expressed her anguish, stating, “I don’t know if my daughter is lying somewhere bleeding, I don’t know if they took her to Gaza, I don’t know if she is suffering.”
The last time she spoke to her daughter Adi was on Saturday morning.
Adi called and said, “There is a massacre here, they are causing a massacre, hundreds of terrorists are shooting.’’
READ ALSO: Woman critically injured as Israel hit by dozens of rockets from Gaza
Then, Maizel said, the connection was cut off.
If someone is holding her captive, please, please, stay human.
“We all have the same DNA, we are all just human,’’ Maizel said through tears.
The uncertainty, she said, is unbearable.
She believes innocent people must not be misused for political purposes.
“Let this not become another Holocaust.’’
On social media, survivors shared how they experienced the Hamas raid on the festival.
Arik Nani described how she spent hours trying to get to safety.
“We ran to the fields and heard constant gunfire behind us, we saw people running and falling.
“We hid in the bushes while bullets flew over our heads,’’ said Nani, who will turn 26 this week.
She will celebrate her birthday in sadness but with gratitude.
“I did not think I would make it.’’
Nani said she ran for six hours, dehydrated and with an injury to her hand, until she managed to get to shelter.
Other witnesses have told how they tried to escape in cars and came under fire.
Pictures after the attack showed dozens of burnt-out cars near the festival site.
Others hid in bushes and trees.
“They went from tree to tree shooting. I saw that people were dying everywhere.
“I was very quiet. I didn’t cry, I didn’t do anything,’’ one survivor told the BBC.
Israeli media has also reported instances of women being raped before being killed or abducted.
It is important to note that Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU, the U.S., and Israel.
dpa/NAN
Follow the Neptune Prime channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va74ZvU2v1IqKByXoX3d
Do you have breaking news, interview request, opinion, suggestion, or want your event covered? Email us at neptuneprime2233@gmail.com
