Current:Home > MyTimeline: How a music festival in Israel turned into a living nightmare -Wealthify
Timeline: How a music festival in Israel turned into a living nightmare
View
Date:2025-04-17 06:07:37
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! (81)
Related
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- Judge finds Voting Rights Act violation in North Dakota redistricting for two tribes
- Salmonella in cantaloupes sickens dozens in 15 states, U.S. health officials say
- More than a million Afghans will go back after Pakistan begins expelling foreigners without papers
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Report: NFL investigating why Joe Burrow was not listed on Bengals injury report
- Who is Bengals QB Jake Browning? What to know about Joe Burrow's backup in Cincinnati
- Judge declares mistrial in case of Brett Hankison, ex-officer involved in fatal Breonna Taylor raid
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuña Jr. win MLB MVP awards for historic 2023 campaigns
Ranking
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- Logan Airport ‘not an appropriate place’ for migrants arriving daily, Massport CEO says
- What's ahead for travelers during Thanksgiving 2023
- Las Vegas high schoolers facing murder charges in their classmate’s death due in court
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Liberian election officials release most results showing Weah loss but order re-run in one county
- Elon Musk faces growing backlash over his endorsement of antisemitic X post
- Police misconduct settlements can cost millions, but departments rarely feel the impact
Recommendation
Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
Greek authorities conduct search and rescue operation after dinghy carrying migrants capsizes
Michigan fires assistant Chris Partridge one day after Jim Harbaugh accepts suspension
'Golden Bachelor' Fantasy Suites recap: Who ended up on top after Gerry's overnight dates?
Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
More than a million Afghans will go back after Pakistan begins expelling foreigners without papers
Tropical disturbance hits western Caribbean, unleashing floods and landslides in Jamaica
Tropical disturbance hits western Caribbean, unleashing floods and landslides in Jamaica