JERUSALEM — An Israeli safety officer could possibly be seen drawing a pistol, his hand shaking violently. Hours earlier that day, Oct. 7, these desolate fields in southern Israel had teemed with 1000’s of younger individuals dancing to digital music beneath the evening sky and tenting out in tents or cell houses. Now, it was silent.
The officer peered rapidly into one of many trailers. “Who’s inside?” he referred to as out in Hebrew, his voice pained. It was empty. He moved onto the remainder of the competition grounds, looking for indicators of life following the Hamas rampage by way of the out of doors live performance. “It is the police!” he yelled many times, his voice rising in panic. “Are there any wounded?”
Silence. The officer moved to the out of doors bar. Hovering over the Coca‐Cola coolers and beer-tap levers, he shouted louder, “Wounded?” His digicam tilted down.
There have been greater than a dozen our bodies — some encrusted with dust, others riddled with bullets. They have been strewn across the bar and piled on high of one another, hair matted with darkish blood, limbs twisted at an unnatural angle. The quick shorts with fringe, cut-off T-shirts and classy white sneakers have been reminders that these mangled our bodies had been younger, carefree partygoers simply earlier than daybreak.
The graphic and harrowing scene unfolds in a roughly 100-second clip of police physique digicam footage launched Saturday by a first-responder group in southern Israel. It was a chilling depiction of what rescuers encountered within the wake of Hamas’ unprecedented assault on the sleepy Israeli farm communities.
One in all Hamas’ first targets was the Nova music competition close to Kibbutz Be’eri, solely 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Gaza Strip. After surging over the border, Hamas gunmen emptied rounds of dwell ammunition on the revelers, together with hand grenades and mortar hearth, killing over 260 individuals in what has turn out to be the largest civilian bloodbath in Israeli historical past.
The physique digicam footage — and different horrifying movies circulating on social media together with tales from survivors who staggered throughout fields to search out refuge in close by orchards — add particulars to what occurred that Saturday.
The magnitude of the devastation from Hamas’ cross-border assault continues to be setting in for Israel a month later because the Israeli army unleashes a devastating offensive in opposition to Hamas that has killed greater than 9,400 Palestinians in Gaza, in accordance with the territory’s well being officers.
Israel continues to be in mourning over the 1,400 individuals killed within the Oct. 7 assault, a lot of them civilians. Forensic specialists are nonetheless working to determine extra victims. Households are nonetheless scouring for any bits of reports in regards to the over 240 Israelis taken hostage in Gaza, together with younger Israelis from the competition.
After stumbling upon the our bodies beneath the bar, the Israeli officer grew to become determined. “Is there somebody with an indication of life? Give us an indication of life,” he pleaded. His voice was not frantic, however thrumming with sorrow.
“Any person, please! Can somebody reply?”
There was no reply.