Day is on the horizon and the music is still loud at the Supernova rave party in southern Israel. Dark circles and smiles characterize the faces. Videos from participants capture the scene. It is around 6 a.m. when clouds of smoke appear in the distance in the sky: rockets fired from the Gaza Strip are intercepted by the Iron Dome, Israel’s anti-aircraft device. On Saturday, October 7, 2023, Hamas just launched the “Al-Aqsa Flood,” a major attack against Israel.
Surrounded by fields and trees, the rave party location is away from houses. The participants dance between Kibbutz Be’eri in the north and Réim in the south, less than six kilometers from the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. Around 3,500 people gathered that day.
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While the first rockets are intercepted far in the sky, the DJs continue to play their program. But confusion quickly arises. In the videos authenticated and analyzed by Le Monde, security and police officers walk among the participants: the order is given to leave the premises immediately. Instructions are also transmitted via loudspeakers. Some participants do not immediately understand the situation and ask why they are being asked to leave the premises.
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At around 9 a.m., the first Palestinian fighters approached the evening’s venue. According to survivors, there are several dozen of them. The members of the security forces present, almost a dozen according to the images analyzed by Le Monde, are not equipped to deal with the situation: they are not wearing bulletproof vests or helmets, only handguns.
They were still trying to organize a blockade on Route 232, a few dozen meters north of the entrance to the event. They are then joined by an Israeli Merkava assault tank. Equipped with a powerful 120mm cannon, this tank is useless at the moment except for serving as a shelter thanks to its armor. Dozens of participants sought shelter behind them, followed by a few police officers. The balls click. The attackers are there.
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According to the Israeli press, Hamas commandos are springing up from all sides. They target the ravers and fire into the crowd with automatic weapons.
A dashcam (an onboard camera that films from a car’s dashboard) records part of the scene from the evening parking lot. The scene, authenticated by Le Monde, shows a Hamas militant armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle capturing a participant. Covered in blood but alive, the hostage leaves the camera field with his hands on his head.
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