Around 260 bodies have been removed from the festival site, which became one of the first targets for Hamas militants launching an unprecedented attack on Israel
It was 6.30am on a Saturday, and dawn was breaking over a desert rave attended by thousands near the border with Gaza. Revellers had stayed up all night swaying to trance music without a care in the world.
Attendees first noticed something was wrong when the pulsating music became drowned out by the sound of sirens and dozens of rockets, as Hamas paragliders descended on the festival and opened fire, the Mirror reports. In one video aired online, a voice can be heard saying: "Guys, we have a red alert. Red alert."
Another partygoer, Ortel, recalled the moment a siren went off, warning of rockets. She told Israel's Channel 12: "They turned off the electricity and suddenly out of nowhere they come inside with gunfire, opening fire in every direction. UK national Jake Marlowe, 26, was reported missing after "providing security at a music festival near the Gaza border". His mum Lisa told the Jewish News: "He was doing security at this rave yesterday and called me at 4.30am to say all these rockets were flying over. Then, at about 5.30am, he texted to say 'signal very bad, everything OK, will keep you updated I promise you', and that he loves me.
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