It’s an unreal post on TikTok, not in a good way. It’s not some fantastic clip of a sporting event or a stunt. It’s capturing the final moments of many featured in the brief clip, which reportedly shows Hamas terrorists paragliding into Israel. It was supposed to be a joyous music festival in Southern Israel; it became a killing field. And before the shots were fired, you can see the paragliders in the background before the attack (via CBS News):
This was a "Rave for Peace". These young people were dancing for peace & harmony between Israelis & Palestinians & Hamas responded by literally murdering & raping them. https://t.co/aRNyHJPYuq
— Izengabe (@Izengabe_) October 8, 2023
HOLY SHLIT
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) October 8, 2023
Hamas paradropped right into an ongoing rave in Israel
They had no idea what was coming pic.twitter.com/dl78zDkRIM
Hamas militants paradropped with buggies right into southern Israel as an outdoor rave was going. It was among the first locations to be attacked. They didn’t see it coming. pic.twitter.com/RAFl5ZiurJ
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) October 8, 2023
During the surprise assault on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas Saturday, gunmen opened fire on hundreds of young people during a dance music festival in the southern Israeli kibbutz of Re'im near the Gaza Strip, according to the Associated Press and multiple Israeli media outlets.
Witnesses told the Times of Israel that rocket fire was followed by gunshots fired into the crowd, as hundreds tried to flee.
"The music stopped and there was a rocket siren," a young woman called Ortal told Israel's Channel 12, according to Reuters. "Suddenly out of nowhere, they started shooting."
Haaretz, one of Israel's largest newspapers, described the scene as a "massacre" and a "battlefield," and reported that terrorists on motorcycles drove into the crowd "opening fire."
Another party attendee, Esther Borochov, told Reuters that she had to play dead until she was rescued by Israeli soldiers.
The attack killed hundreds of Israelis and wounded thousands. There is a worry that this could erupt into a multi-front war, so hundreds of thousands of reservists have been called up. Among the many questions surrounding this attack is how was the Israeli military caught so off guard.
The number of Israelis confirmed dead in today's Hamas terrorist invasion has risen to 300, with 1,590 wounded.
— Avi Mayer אבי מאיר (@AviMayer) October 7, 2023
That is the equivalent of three 9/11s, given the size of Israel's population.
This is a catastrophe unlike anything Israel has ever experienced before.
Latest numbers:
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) October 7, 2023
-300+ Israelis killed
-1,500+ wounded
-3,000+ rockets fired into Israel
-Dozens of Israeli soldiers and civilians taken hostage and now are POWs in Gaza
-252 Palestinians dead
-1,000+ wounded
The war continues at this hour.
As we’ve talked about many times, Israel must brace for the possibility that Lebanon gets involved in the fight. It’s part of the reason you’re seeing so many reserve troops called up. Unpredictable days ahead.
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) October 8, 2023
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UPDATE: A community note highlighted how the images in the background were not paragliders but smoke from the missile interceptions by Israel's Iron Dome. This music festival is still a mass casualty event, where 260 people were killed, roughly 40 percent of the total fatalities thus far.
#BREAKING: Search and rescue mission at Nova festival next to Rei’m has been completed, 260 bodies of Israeli civillians were recovered- emergency services
— ELINT News (@ELINTNews) October 8, 2023