Rescuers Recover More Than 260 Bodies At Music Festival Attacked By Hamas
Israel's Jaka Rescue Service said its medics had recovered more than 260 bodies from a music festival attacked by Hamas militants.
The total number of bodies recovered is expected to be higher as other paramedic teams are also working in the area and Jaka added that "not all the bodies have been collected yet".
Early Saturday morning, Hamas attacked the Nova Music Festival in the desert near the Gaza border.
Videos shared on social media and Israeli media showed dozens of festival-goers running across an open field as shots rang out. Many of them hid in nearby gardens or were shot while trying to escape.
British national Jack Marlowe, 26, a carpenter, was working as a security guard at the Nova music festival just four miles east of Gaza, which took place on Saturday when Hamas launched its biggest attack on Israel in decades.
Witnesses and relatives told The Independent he was among dozens of festival-goers missing, abducted or presumed dead.
"He was in charge of security at the party yesterday and called me at 4:30 p.m. that all these rockets were flying," Lisa, the 26-year-old's mother, told The Jewish News . "Then he texted me around 5:30 a.m., 'Bad signal, everything's fine, I'll keep you updated, I promise,' and he loves me."
Parents and friends received panicked messages, The Independent found, desperately pleading for help and the deployment of the army, telling them they were injured and had no choice.
Videos from Gaza appeared online for the first time on Saturday, including a video showing young woman Noa Argamani being abducted by Hamas fighters while riding a motorcycle with her boyfriend.
On Sunday, another video showed the disfigured body of a woman identified by friends as German tattoo artist Shani Luk walking through Gaza in only her underwear. He is believed to have attended the same outdoor music festival.
"We have never seen anything like this," said Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, an international spokesman for the Israeli military.
“There is great concern for the well-being and lives of the hostages. At this point, I don't think anyone can guarantee that they will come back alive. "We don't know who lives and who dies."
In a statement released on Sunday evening, Jaka said: “We have collected more than 260 bodies from the nature festival. "Not all have been collected yet."
Israeli military officials told The Independent that the attack was "unprecedented" and that they feared for the hostages' lives.
700 Israelis and 400 Palestinians have been killed since the attacks began on Saturday morning. It is unclear exactly how many Israelis have been kidnapped, but Hamas is believed to be holding more than 100 hostages.
