Eerie images reveal the eerie silence that descended over the site of the Nova festival, near Israel’s border with Gaza, where 260 partygoers lost their lives in a brutal Hamas massacre.
Dozens of cars were abandoned after terrorists stormed the Nova festival near Kibbutz Re’im, near the Gaza Strip, as part of their surprise attack on Saturday.
Several vehicles were burnt out and missing key parts, including tyres.
Entire windows are missing from many of the cars, after attackers fired wantonly at civilians in the early hours of the morning.
Camping equipment, including sleeping bags, were left behind as thousands of revelers ran for their lives, as were everyday items, such as bottles of water and clothes.
Several tents, including those used to host events at the festival, were also abandoned by organizers and festival-goers.
The ground around the festival site appears to have been burned by Hamas terrorists
Tents and festival equipment were abandoned during the attack
Discarded possessions and debris littered the Nova festival grounds
Festival goers ran for their lives as at least 260 people were killed in the attack
Aerial footage of the festival site has since revealed a burnt patch of land, apparently by Hamas terrorists.
IDF soldiers are currently patrolling the area around the festival site.
The Israeli rescue service Zaka said it had so far recovered at least 260 bodies in the wake of the attack.
Distraught family members, hoping to find their loved ones, have been asked to bring personal items such as combs and toothbrushes belonging to their missing children so investigators can try to match their identification.
Music at the deadly rave, which survivors said initially had ‘good vibes’, played all night until around 6.30am, when a siren began warning of rockets.
IDF soldiers are currently patrolling the area around the festival site
Several cars were burnt out and left to rust by Hamas fighters
Dozens of cars were abandoned by the festival-goers
The site was abandoned by festival-goers on Saturday morning when Hamas fighters stormed the area
Festival goers knew there was a risk of rocket attacks. But they didn’t expect a truckload of gunmen to cut power to the festival and storm the grounds, firing indiscriminately into the crowd.
Peleg Orev, a bartender who worked at the festival and left the premises moments before Hamas launched their deadly attack, told Good Morning Britain of the atrocities from the site.
“They wanted to kill as many people as they could with the main goal of killing innocent people,” he said.
Some 260 people have been killed at the festival site, but a number of festival-goers remain missing – with many fearing they are among the women, children and elderly victims kidnapped by Hamas.
One heroic Israeli father, Mark Peretz, 50, ran to the scene as the scene of horror unfolded in the hope of saving his 20-year-old daughter Maya, who is among the unaccounted for.
Maya was with a group of 12 when she managed to escape the festival by car, but they were later forced to leave the vehicle.
Personal belongings, including sleeping bags and clothes, were left behind in the frantic rush to leave
Car windows were displayed by Hamas fighters during the attack on Saturday
This is the first time the festival grounds have been visited since Saturday’s attack
Mark knew he was headed for danger as he began his journey south and was on the phone with his family when gunshots rang out and the call was cut.
No one has heard from Mark since, with his son’s friends – who are all ex-military – starting to look for him. They found his car, but no sign of the distraught father.
‘(He) dropped everything and drove there. Even given the situation, given the fact that rockets are being thrown over our heads.
“Given the fact that he saw Hamas terrorists driving into Israel and taking parachutes into Israel… he went to save Maya,” Mark’s daughter-in-law, Jessica Cohen, 24, told The New York Post.
He was about 20 minutes away from Maya when the phone cut off. “We were on the phone with him and we heard gunshots, and don’t know exactly what happened,” Jessica added. Both Mark and Maya remain missing.