Hamas attack at Israeli music festival kills over 260
The deadly attack by Hamas militants on an Israeli music festival resulted in over 260 fatalities, including 12 Thais and a 30 year old German tourist, Shani Louk. The incident occurred near the Gaza border in a southern region of Israel on Saturday.
The local Israeli emergency response organization, Zaka, reported the discovery of over 260 bodies near the festival venue, a farming area in southern Israel. The attack, which involved both ground and air assaults, led to panic among the Jewish festival of Sukkot-goers, who fled to safety.
The event, initially filled with joyous dancing and music, was disrupted by the unexpected arrival of dozens of Hamas militants, parachuting near the venue and launching white smoke missiles into the sky. As the panicked crowd dispersed across the open fields, many found refuge in a drainage tunnel. However, Hamas gunmen targeted fleeing attendees, capturing some as hostages.
A video circulating on social media showed a chilling scene where a group of Hamas militants executed a woman, claiming her to be an Israeli soldier. Her body was then paraded around the city on the back of a pickup truck, amidst chants of “Allahu Akbar,” an Arabic phrase meaning “God is great.”
The victim, initially misidentified as an Israeli soldier, was later confirmed to be Shani Louk, a German national. Louk, an artist and tattooist, was attending the peace music festival in Kibbutz, a southern region of Israel near the Gaza border when she was brutally attacked by Hamas militants.
Shani’s family expressed their worry for her safety when news of the Hamas attack reached them, knowing that she was attending the festival. Their worst fears were confirmed when they were sent a video clip, recognising the lifeless body of the young woman being paraded around the city as their beloved Shani. Her identity was subsequently confirmed by her parents, reported Sanook.
The attack on the music festival marks a significant escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, with the militants targeting not just Israeli military personnel, but also innocent civilians and tourists. The horrifying video of Shani’s death has only served to amplify the brutality of the conflict, casting a dark shadow over the hope for peace in the region.
