Current:Home > MyTimeline: How a music festival in Israel turned into a living nightmare -WealthRoots Academy
Timeline: How a music festival in Israel turned into a living nightmare
Surpassing View
Date:2025-04-10 18:46:04
As Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel over the weekend, pillaging, kidnapping and killing civilians across several towns, one of the first targets was the Supernova music festival, held in the Negev desert in southern Israel.
At least 260 people were killed, making it one of the worst civilian casualty incidents in Israel's history.
On ABC News Live at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 12, ABC News' James Longman, Matt Gutman and Ian Pannell look at the horrendous toll from Hamas' massacre, the Israelis and Palestinians caught in the middle and what comes next.
ABC News talked to survivors and families of the missing, and analyzed and verified witness video and security footage to piece together how the brutal killings unfolded.
"We are trapped"
Dozens of festival attendees shared their stories and original cell phone videos with ABC News. Using the location and time stamp recorded in the files' metadata, we were able to geolocate and track their movements.
From the initial rocket trails in the sky appearing shortly after sunrise at 6:40 a.m. local time, the videos show the chaos and confusion that ensued as festivalgoers either remained or fled the site.
MORE: Music festival survivor recounts harrowing escape from Hamas terrorists: 'They hunted us for hours'
As attendees tried to leave by car, roads became blocked and clogged. One eyewitness, who managed to escape by taking the main road north, reported Hamas militants on motorbikes firing at them from close range, which was corroborated by photos of their bullet-ridden car.
Indeed, ABC News has been able to verify video that shows the deliberate nature of the attack on Supernova.
Dramatic eyewitness videos from the main road show Israeli police seemingly trying to hold back Hamas militants encircling the site. The gun battle prompted many to desert their cars, as confirmed in a drone video filmed on Sunday from the same location that shows burned and mangled cars betraying the panic in which they were abandoned.
Chilling dashcam video reveals the calculated way Hamas militants shot survivors at point-blank range. The video was obtained and shared online by a group of apparent Israeli first responders combing attack sites. By calculating shadow length and consulting the camera's manufacturers, ABC News was able to verify the time code and coordinates on the video, establishing that the militants were still combing the site at midday.
Fleeing Supernova
Plotting the routes of the survivors -- some escaped through fields, while others hid in bushes for hours before reaching safety -- their powerful testimonies show the depths of their desperation.
Ben Rudaeff filmed several minutes of video over the course of three hours as he lay with his friends in a forest to the south of the festival, listening to the ricochet of gunfire. "Time went as slow as it can possibly go," he says.
While Amit Bar told ABC News that she and her boyfriend, Nir De Jorno, took a photo of themselves after several hours of hiding in the bushes. Bar said they understood it could be their last photo, saying that "at least if we die, our family will have a souvenir."
Fortunately, they all made it to it safety.
Families left in limbo
Some were not so lucky, as several family members confirmed to ABC News that their loved ones attending the festival were taken hostage.
From a video, likely filmed by Hamas militants, the family of Noa Argamani was able to identify their daughter being forced onto a motorbike by militants in a field close to the festival site. Her boyfriend was also seen in the same video being marched alongside by foot with his arms held behind his back by militants.
Video and testimony from surviving festival attendees allowed Hersh Goldberg-Polin's family to piece together his movements after leaving the festival site. A screenshot shared with ABC News shows Goldberg-Polin in a nearby bomb shelter. Witnesses testify moments later that Hamas militants threw grenades into the shelter, causing Hersh to lose an arm and be taken hostage.
"This nightmare doesn't stop at that party"
ZAKA, a volunteer emergency group in Israel, has said 260 bodies have been recovered from the concert site. As more families of the missing receive the news they feared, grim details continue to emerge.
Rudaeff told ABC News that during his escape, he learned his father had been kidnapped while defending the family's kibbutz from militants. "This nightmare doesn't stop at that party," he said.
Echoing many other survivors who wanted their videos to be seen, Rudaeff wants the world to know what they went through and are still going through.
ABC News' Layla Ferris and Chris Looft contributed to this report.
veryGood! (57)
Related
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- Russian court sentences US soldier to nearly 4 years on theft charges
- Kate Douglass wins 100 free at Olympic trials. Simone Manuel fourth
- Probe finds carelessness caused Jewish student group’s omission from New Jersey high school yearbook
- Small twin
- Video shows baby moose trapped in Alaska lake saved as its mother watches
- Willie Mays' memory will live forever, starting with Rickwood Field tribute
- Pistons part ways with head coach Monty Williams after one season
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Stackable Rings Are the Latest Jewelry Trend – Here’s How To Build a Show-Stopping Stack
Ranking
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- NASCAR Cup Series 2024 season recap: All the results and schedule of upcoming races
- A 'potty-mouthed parrot' is up for adoption. 300 people came forward for the cursing conure.
- Kevin Costner Breaks Silence on Jewel Romance Rumors
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- A random woman threw acid in her face; 18 months later, scars fade as impact lingers
- Megachurch pastor resigns after admitting 'sexual behavior' with 'young lady.' She was 12.
- Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker Channeling Forrest Gump Is Sweeter Than a Box of Chocolates
Recommendation
Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
Reese Witherspoon's Draper James x The Foggy Dog Has The Cutest Matching Pup & Me Outfits We've Ever Seen
Early blast of heat and humidity leaves millions sweltering across the US
Ashanti and Nelly didn't know she was pregnant when belly-touching video went viral
Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
More life sentences for shooter in fatal LGBTQ+ nightclub attack
NFL offseason grades: Bears earn top team mark as Cowboys trail rest of class
Jinkx Monsoon is in her actress era, 'transphobes be damned'