Two weeks after the horror festival near the Gaza Strip, in which at least 260 Israelis were shot dead by Hama terrorists, gruesome testimonies continue to emerge. A number of festival goers who survived the massacre now claim that numerous victims were under the influence of drugs during the attack. “Some were so high that they just kept dancing when the killing spree started,” it said.
LOOK. Images show how festivalgoers party carefree just before Hamas carries out a massacre
The ‘Tribe of Nova’ festival, also called “the festival of peace”, took place from Friday 6 to Saturday 7 October near the Israeli kibbutz Re’im, about thirty kilometers from the Gaza Strip. It was the first Israeli edition of the Brazilian psychedelic festival ‘Universo Paralello’.
On Friday evening, festival goers celebrated the Jewish holiday ‘Simchat Torah’. The 3,500 attendees thoroughly enjoyed the open-air festival. They danced, laughed and celebrated without a care in the world. But the joy was short-lived. On Saturday morning, the Hama terrorists arrived, transforming the festival grounds into a bloodbath in just a few hours.
As festival goers tried to flee in panic, Hamas militants chased them on their motorcycles. “It was chaos. They came from everywhere,” said an eyewitness. Some attendees managed to escape, but countless other festival goers were not so lucky. 260 people were killed in the massacre. Dozens of others were kidnapped.
“Easiest murder ever”
Although Israelis in the Gaza area always anticipate rocket attacks, the attack took everyone by surprise. Several festival goers were also under the influence of drugs, witnesses said. According to Raziel Tamir, some were even so high that they didn’t realize what was going on. “They just kept dancing, while the terrorists calmly approached them and executed them,” the witness told the German news site ‘Der Spiegel’. According to Tamir, it was “the easiest massacre ever” for Hamas.
On the other hand, 26-year-old Hila Fakliro, who worked as a bartender at the festival, claims that all the psychedelic drugs only made the panic and chaos worse among those in attendance. “There were crazy maniacs with guns and people falling to the ground one by one. It looked like a shooting range,” says the young woman.
LOOK. Israeli woman films how to flee from festival site
Psychedelic substances
The testimonies are not very surprising. After all, the Tribe of Nova festival is known for the widespread use of psychedelic substances such as LSD and MDMA. Einat Haimovich also says this. The 50-year-old psychologist set up a support center in Tel Aviv shortly after the attack. Surviving festival goers can go there to talk about their traumas.
“Many have told me the festival was the best party they have ever experienced,” she said. “But at dawn, in the midst of beauty, friendship and love, darkness entered our lives in one minute,” she continues. Haimovich wants her center to become a trusted place for assassination survivors. “It is intended for anyone who wants to talk and needs a hug,” she concludes.
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