Tragedy Unfolds: Gaza Blockade Follows Horror at Supernova Festival as Israel Declares War
On that fateful Saturday morning, after breaking through Israel’s heavily fortified fence from Gaza, members of Hamas went on a rampage. They fired their guns at innocent civilians and even snatched people away. These folks had gathered in the desert near the Gaza border, looking forward to a night of techno music at the Supernova festival. It happened during the Jewish festival of Sukkot.
On Monday, we sadly know that at least 260 people lost their lives, as reported by Israel’s rescue service, Zaka. The festival organizers are working tirelessly to help Israeli security forces locate those who are still missing.
The videos and images that circulated on social media from the festival were truly shocking. In one video, we see a young woman named Shani Louk lying face-down in the back of a pickup truck with four militants. In another, a woman named Noa Argamani is being abducted by men on a motorcycle. There are even clips of festival-goers running across open fields, desperately trying to escape the gunmen. It’s all heart-wrenching.
Early on Monday, an OSINT technical account on X (formerly Twitter) shared a thread detailing what happened at the festival. They used new drone footage, satellite imagery, and videos to identify what occurred in that small area. According to their findings, the festival was held about 0.8 miles from Kibbutz Re’im and roughly 5.2 kilometers from the Gaza border.
Their shared footage included scenes of confused festival attendees and security officers trying their best to evacuate people. It was early in the morning, around sunrise, at about 6:40 a.m. local time on that tragic Saturday.
The OSINT technical account also uncovered dashcam footage from rescuers’ vehicles, complete with GPS location and timestamps. This footage showed the horrifying sight of a Hamas fighter dragging away a civilian at 9:23 a.m. In the same video, just seconds later, another gunman executed an injured civilian lying behind a sedan. A third Hamas militant was seen searching for civilians. It’s chilling to witness such events unfolding.
In another dashcam clip, recorded almost three hours later, several individuals arrived at the scene. They were unarmed and were seen rifling through the pockets of one of the executed individuals. Minutes later, another group began searching through an abandoned sedan, even through a suitcase. The situation was chaotic and distressing.
As reported by OSINTtechnical, drone footage revealed that many areas of the festival site were in flames. Approximately 35 vehicles were destroyed or severely damaged, and at least 89 cars were left abandoned. The devastation was extensive, leaving a heavy heart.
The conflict has brought immense tragedy, claiming the lives of approximately 700 people in Israel, as reported by The Associated Press. In Gaza, the situation is equally heartbreaking, with the Gaza Health Ministry revealing that 493 individuals, including 78 children and 41 women, have lost their lives. Countless more have suffered injuries on both sides of this deeply distressing situation. Israel’s response hit a new high when it declared war, resulting in complete blockades on Gaza, holding 2.3 million Palestinians bordering Israel and Egypt.
This leads to the stoppage of essential supplies such as food items like oil, wheat flour, meat, fuel, and house provisions. Airstrikes have relentlessly struck the Hamas-controlled territory in retaliation for the weekend events. This marks a tragic and devastating chapter in the ongoing conflict, with unimaginable suffering for all involved.
