Some sprinted through the desert and some hid in the bushes, while some tried to flee in their vehicles — only to be ambushed and kidnapped by Hamas militants who broke through Israel’s south border with the Gaza Strip.
They were among the thousands attending the Supernova Music Festival early Saturday when rockets were hurled toward Israel. A total of 260 people were killed at the event, said a spokesperson for ZAKA, an Israeli nongovernmental rescue and recovery organization.
New drone video released by the first responders sheds light on the aftermath of the deadly attack, showing dozens of mangled vehicles strewn along the roads alongside the festival area. Some were upside down, and others were charred beyond recognition, giving a snapshot of the violence the concertgoers endured.
Many tried to escape to their vehicles parked in the Negev desert, but the road was soon blocked; videos recorded later that morning and verified by NBC News showed the festival was directly ambushed by the militants.
Many fled farther into the desert, with videos showing some holding their breath behind bushes, hiding from militants who passed by, while some ran for their lives through the expansive wilderness.
Paramedics like Yan Gorjalstan were inundated with emergency calls as the number of people injured piled up. At the time, he had no idea that the militants had kidnapped Noa Argamani, his friend of 15 years, who was attending the rave. It was only when he returned home that he saw a video of her being taken away.
“As soon as I saw her, it was her 100%,” he said, adding that Argamani loved partying and traveling.
Until the weekend, Gorjalstan had never seen her without a smile, he said. But soon after he got the news of her kidnapping, he saw her in a video showing her in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
“The most terrifying thing is her voice and the horror look on her face,” he said.
“You can see the horror of her saying, ‘I don’t want to die.’”
Noa's father, Shamale, was desperately hoping for her return over the weekend.
"I thought tomorrow will be a new day, and she'll be back," he said.
Music festivals are common in Israel, drawing huge local and international crowds. They typically go on for days, usually without breaks.
The festival, intended as an outlet for young partygoers to blow off steam, became one of the first targets for the militants.
“I have a lot of friends that they probably got kidnapped, as well, and nobody knows about it, because Noa is one of the only person that has the video and the confirmation that she is alive and held captive,” Gorjalstan said.
“Like us, dozens or hundreds of families are crying for help for their sons and daughters,” he said.
