Dance of Death: The Unseen Terror at Nova Music Festival

In the early hours of a Saturday morning, the Tribe of Nova music festival, a celebration of life and music, turned into a horrifying scene of death and terror. Heavily armed Palestinian terrorists from Hamas launched a surprise attack, paragliding across the Gaza Strip border into Israel, turning a festive rave into a bloody massacre1.

The Attack

The unsuspecting crowd was dancing to music when the terrorist motorized paragliders descended. The horrifying images posted online by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs show people gunned down in the street while fleeing the festival near Gaza. One snapshot captures a bloodied hostage loaded in the back of a Hamas terror vehicle1.Survivors recount the horrifying scene, describing how the terrorists arrived at the rave site in vans, dressed in military uniforms. The militants began killing party-goers, throwing grenades and stun grenades at people1. The attack was so sudden and brutal that many attendees were caught off guard, with no place to hide3.

The Aftermath

The aftermath of the attack was nothing short of a massacre. Scores of bodies were found underneath a tent at the festival. The number of bodies found at the site amounts to at least 260, according to CNN1. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "We debated whether or not to share these horrific images, but the world needs to know what we are up against"1.

The Heroes

In the midst of this chaos, Israeli soldiers acted as human shields to protect those lying on the ground trying to avoid incoming gunfire and explosions. Raziel Tamir, a festival attendee, recounted how he and 100 others were spared when Israeli soldiers used their bodies as shields1.

The Hostages

Hamas terrorists took hostages, shooting their legs off so they couldn't resist or escape. Some of the hostages were paraded down the street in horrifying videos1. One of the hostages was identified as Shani Louk, a German-Israeli dual national, who was seen unconscious and being paraded around Gaza by armed militants3.

The Response

In response to the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced, "We are at war" and vowed that Hamas would pay "a price it has never known"1. The Israeli office referred to the attackers as "Hamas terrorists, but no different than ISIS terrorists"1.

The Impact

The impact of this attack is far-reaching. Over 700 Israelis are dead, over 2,150 are wounded, and 100 were taken hostage. The death toll is expected to rise1. The horror was nothing short of a "massacre," a medic at the scene told Israeli Public Radio1.This horrifying event serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing conflict and the innocent lives caught in the crossfire. The Tribe of Nova music festival, once a symbol of joy and unity, will now be remembered as a scene of terror and death. The world watches and mourns with Israel, hoping for a resolution to this conflict and an end to such senseless violence.