Current:Home > InvestTimeline: How a music festival in Israel turned into a living nightmare -Secure Horizon Growth
Timeline: How a music festival in Israel turned into a living nightmare
View
Date:2025-04-14 23:53:59
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! (4)
Related
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- MLB pitcher Dennis Eckersley’s daughter reunited with her son after giving birth in woods in 2022
- Upsets, Sweet 16 chalk and the ACC lead March Madness takeaways from men's NCAA Tournament
- Florida’s DeSantis signs one of the country’s most restrictive social media bans for minors
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Cameron Diaz welcomes baby boy named Cardinal at age 51
- Inside Bradley Cooper and Gigi Hadid’s Broadway Date Night
- Is the war on drugs back on? | The Excerpt podcast
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- Jim Harbaugh: J.J. McCarthy's killer instinct, kind heart make him best QB in 2024 NFL draft
Ranking
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- Katie Couric Is a Grandma as Daughter Ellie Welcomes First Baby
- Get This $10 Luggage Scale that Thousands of Reviewers call Extremely Accurate & Invaluable
- Katie Couric Is a Grandma as Daughter Ellie Welcomes First Baby
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- Colorado university hires 2 former US attorneys to review shooting, recommend any changes
- Candiace Dillard Bassett announces 'RHOP' exit after 6 seasons: 'This is not a farewell'
- Judge sets April 15 trial date in Trump hush money case, rejecting request for a delay
Recommendation
Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Use the Force
Milwaukee officers shoot, critically wound man when he fires at them during pursuit, police say
Kevin Hart accepts Mark Twain Prize for humor, says committing to comedy was a 'gamble'
Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
Influencers Sufi Malik and Anjali Chakra Break Up and Call Off Wedding After Mistake of Betrayal
Mega Millions jackpot over $1 billion for 6th time ever: When is the next lottery drawing?
Cameron Diaz welcomes baby boy named Cardinal at age 51