This is the touching moment Israelis dance at dawn to the last DJ to perform before Hamas stormed the Nova festival and slaughtered innocent revelers.
In Tel Aviv on Saturday, thousands took part in a demonstration demanding the release of hostages taken by Hamas terrorists, marking the 100th day since the Oct. 7 attacks that sparked the country's bloodiest conflict.
Images show young people dancing to electronic music by Artifex, the last DJ to perform at the open-air Nova festival in the Negev Desert.
At another rally in the city today, people stood silent for 100 seconds, some holding yellow balloons to commemorate the 100 days the hostages were held.
Scenes of young revelers fighting off armed gunmen at the festival reverberated around the world in an attack that killed more than 360 people and sent dozens hostage to Gaza.
Shortly after dawn 100 days ago, thousands of heavily armed Hamas fighters stormed over the border fence into the Gaza Strip in various locations.
People in Tel Aviv dance at dawn to electronic music by Artifex, the last DJ to perform at the Tribe of Nova open-air festival in the Negev desert before it marks the 100th day of Hamas militants on October 7, 2023 was attacked after the attack, which followed a war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement, on January 14, 2024
People in Tel Aviv dance at dawn to electronic music by Artifex, the last DJ to perform at the Tribe of Nova open-air festival in the Negev desert before it marks the 100th day of Hamas militants on October 7, 2023 was attacked after the attack, which followed a war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement, on January 14, 2024
People in Tel Aviv dance at dawn to electronic music by Artifex, the last DJ to perform at the Tribe of Nova open-air festival in the Negev desert before it marks the 100th day of Hamas militants on October 7, 2023 was attacked after the attack, which followed a war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement, on January 14, 2024
In addition to the Nova festival, they targeted kibbutzim, military bases and border towns that were used to rocket attacks from Gaza but were helpless in the devastating surprise attack.
At Saturday's large-scale memorial event in Tel Aviv, families of the missing were among the crowds holding placards and wearing T-shirts with pictures of their loved ones' faces.
Despite supporting the military's war effort, the public in Israel remains deeply traumatized.
Israel says Hamas killed 1,200 people in its attack on southern Israel on October 7, the worst loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust.
It vowed to destroy Hamas and responded with a military offensive on Gaza that has so far killed nearly 24,000 Palestinians, displaced most of the population and caused widespread hunger and disease, according to Gaza health authorities.
Of the 240 hostages kidnapped on October 7, more than 130 are still being held in Gaza, although some of them may no longer be alive. Their suffering and the suffering of their families are deeply felt throughout Israeli society.
The country seems to be reliving October 7th every day – when families were killed in their homes, partygoers shot at the music festival and children and elderly people kidnapped on motorcycles.
Posters depicting the hostages who remain in Hamas captivity line public streets, and people wear T-shirts calling on leaders to take them home.
Israeli news channels devote their broadcasts around the clock to covering the war.
Israeli spies and military commanders reportedly knew about Hamas's plans to attack partygoers at the Nova music festival. Pictured: A woman fleeing from the terrorists on October 7th
People in Tel Aviv dance at dawn to electronic music by Artifex, the last DJ to perform at the Tribe of Nova open-air festival in the Negev desert before it marks the 100th day of Hamas militants on October 7, 2023 was attacked after the attack, which followed a war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement, on January 14, 2024
People in Tel Aviv dance at dawn to electronic music by Artifex, the last DJ to perform at the Tribe of Nova open-air festival in the Negev desert before it marks the 100th day of Hamas militants on October 7, 2023 was attacked after the attack, which followed a war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement, on January 14, 202
People in Tel Aviv dance at dawn to electronic music by Artifex, the last DJ to perform at the Tribe of Nova open-air festival in the Negev desert before it marks the 100th day of Hamas militants on October 7, 2023 was attacked after the attack, which followed a war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement, on January 14, 2024
People take part in the “100 Days of Hell” rally in front of the Tel Aviv Art Museum in what is now Hostages Square. To date, there are still 129 hostages in the Gaza Strip in the hands of Hamas terrorists who are being held in tunnels. “100 Days of Hell” Rally, Tel Aviv, Israel – January 13, 2024
They broadcast non-stop stories of tragedy and heroism from October 7, stories of hostages and their families, tearful funerals of soldiers killed in action and reports from Gaza from correspondents smiling alongside the troops.
There is little discussion or compassion about the skyrocketing death toll and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. Plans for post-war Gaza are rarely mentioned.
On Israeli streets and on television, in shops and cafes, a symbol of solidarity with the hostages held in Gaza has become ubiquitous in the 100 days since their abduction by Hamas: military-style dog tags worn on necklaces.
The small metal rectangles, similar to those worn by soldiers for identification, are typically engraved with two slogans in Hebrew: “Our hearts are held hostage in Gaza” and “Together we will win,” and one in English: “Bring them now.” Home”. .
“Everyone wants to show their support in one way or another,” said Shayna Roth, 36, a digital marketing specialist and mother of three from Modi'in, near Tel Aviv.
“It just makes you feel like no matter where you go, no matter who you meet or who you talk to, we are all one nation undivided.”
“Wearing these dog tags allows us to really connect with the families who are directly affected,” said Roth, who also has pictures of hostages next to their Shabbat candles, which, in Jewish tradition, are lit on Friday evenings to usher in Shabbat.
Supporters and families hold pictures of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza as they take part in a “100 Days of Hell” rally outside the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel, calling for their immediate release and marks the upcoming 100th day of her captivity, January 13, 2024.
Supporters and families hold pictures of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza as they take part in a “100 Days of Hell” rally outside the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel, calling for their immediate release and marks the upcoming 100th day of her captivity, January 13, 2024
People stand still for 100 seconds during a rally marking 100 days of the Gaza Strip hostage holdout in Tel Aviv, Israel, on January 14, 2024
People release 100 balloons at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem campus in Jerusalem on Jan. 14, 2024, to symbolize the 100th day since the Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas
In New York on Saturday, families of hostages and supporters spoke before turning a large hourglass in Times Square to mark the 100th day since Oct. 7.
On Sunday, thousands gathered in London's Trafalgar Square for a pro-Israel rally.
People held placards with the faces of the hostages and placards that read “100 Days in Hell.”
The crowd chanted “Bring Them Home Now” and cheered as an organizer on stage declared that he had “never been so proud to be Jewish.”
On Sunday, several hundred people also marched through the streets of Berlin waving Israeli flags to demand the “immediate” release of the hostages.
In Paris, a series of events took place at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
“The French nation is determined that … all the hostages of the October 7 terrorist attacks be released,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday.
It came as Israeli strikes hit Gaza on the 100th day of the war sparked by the Hamas attack, which has claimed a rising civilian death toll and devastated the besieged Palestinian territory.
Since October 7, Israel has relentlessly attacked the Gaza Strip with airstrikes and a ground offensive that has caused unprecedented destruction and leveled entire neighborhoods.
The offensive has displaced the vast majority of Palestinians in Gaza, halted operations at more than half of Gaza's hospitals and caused widespread starvation, according to UN monitors.
A girl holds a hostage poster near a large hourglass in Times Square on January 13, 2024 in New York City
Pro-Israel supporters wave Israeli and pre-revolutionary Iranian flags as they gather for a demonstration in Trafalgar Square, central London, on January 14, 2024, to show their support for the bereaved, families of hostages, soldiers and the people of Israel
Former British Home Secretary Suella Braverman, sacked for her attack on police double standards towards protesters, joins pro-Israel supporters as they gather for a demonstration in Trafalgar Square, central London, on January 14, 2024
Pro-Israel supporters hold placards as they gather for a demonstration in Trafalgar Square, central London, on January 14, 2024, to show their support for the bereaved, families of hostages, soldiers and the people of Israel
People gather in front of the Berlin Cathedral as they take part in a memorial march with family members of German citizens who were kidnapped by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Berlin on January 14, 2024
People hold up posters declaring Israeli hostages in Gaza during the “100 Days 100 Voices” event marking 100 days since the October 7 Hamas attack, in front of the Opéra Bastille in Paris, France, January 14, 2024
The Israeli military said it had now scaled back its operations in the hard-hit north. But in the south, where Hamas leaders are supposedly hiding, it is pushing forward with full force.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and Israel have been fighting across borders almost daily since the war began.
The Israeli military says the war will last until 2024.
In a defiant speech on Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, referring to Iran and its allied militias: “No one will stop us, not The Hague, not the axis of evil and no one else.”
He spoke after the International Court of Justice in The Hague held two days of hearings on South Africa's allegations that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, an accusation Israel has rejected as slanderous and hypocritical.
South Africa asked the court to order Israel, as an interim step, to stop its devastating air and ground offensive.
The Hamas government's media office in the Gaza Strip said on Sunday that “more than 100 people were martyred in the attacks last night until 6 a.m. in all areas of the Gaza Strip.”
At the Israel-Lebanese border, where there have been regular exchanges of fire with Hamas ally Hezbollah, the Israeli army said it killed three gunmen who crossed the border overnight and “fired on the forces.”
Two civilians were killed in northern Israel on Sunday after an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon hit their home in a town near the border.