MUSIKEXPRESS spoke to Raz Gaster, who survived the attack on the “Supernova Sukkot Gathering: Universo Paralello Israrel”.
On Saturday morning last week (October 7th) at around 6:30 a.m. local time, the terrorist militia Hamas attacked the “Supernova Sukkot Gathering: Universo Paralello Israrel” in the Negev Desert with machine guns and grenades. Around 300 people were killed in the attack, and numerous others were kidnapped or are still missing today. In recent days, more and more survivors have come forward to tell their stories and perspectives on what happened.
One of them is Raz Gaster. He was there as a promoter for a total of nine artists when the first rockets were fired at the festival. At the time of the first explosions, Gaster was in the backstage area: “And then of course we saw that more and more rockets were coming towards us.” Almost ten minutes later, he got into the car with his team and found 30 kilometers further in the villa, which the production rented in advance for itself and the artists, shelter. We spoke to Raz Gaster about the terrorist attack on the festival, his escape – and what everyday life in Israel has been like since then.
Which artists from the festival line-up did you manage?
Raz Gaster: We had a total of nine artists on site: Man With No Name, Protonica, No Face, Astral Projection, Libra, Swarup, Shove, Spectra Sonics and Aladin.
Were all of your artists able to get to safety?
All nine artists are safe and uninjured. Most of them are back home in their countries. Some were not even at the venue when the terrorist attack took place. Also because we called some of them in advance and explained what was happening and that they should stay in Tel Aviv. But a few of my artists are still in shock and are unable to talk about it or give interviews. However, two Israeli DJs who played before the attack did not survive. DJ Kido and DJ Syloopo were both murdered. The families have already received the news and Syloopo has already been buried. Kido’s funeral follows Sunday.
In an interview you said that you were backstage when the explosions were heard. Was that the first thing you noticed about the attack?
Yes, that was the first thing we noticed. First we heard a few small explosions – these sounds are our reality in Israel. Then I went straight out to see what was going on. We recognized rockets and mortar shells coming our way. The explosions then became more and more violent. There was chaos and panic.
What followed then?
Of course everyone tried to get to safety and find shelter in a bunker. If there are no bunkers or you are not near one, the instructions in Israel are always to lie on the ground and cover your head with your hands. We did this for a few minutes while other people hid behind refrigerators, cars, tents and anything they could find. Then a police officer announced over the microphone that we should all get in our cars and go home. We then gathered all the drivers, artists and colleagues together and left the venue.
How did the escape go?
When I arrived on the street in the car, there was of course a police officer directing us. However, since two of my artists in the production house were 30 kilometers from the venue, we took a different route than prescribed to get to them. They were very scared and panicked because they are not used to something like rockets. There was no one on the street – and no signs of an attack. Only the alarms, the sounds of rockets and mortars could still be heard. It wasn’t until we got to the villa that we saw all the messages and calls from the venue, and people running away telling us they were under fire.
So you didn’t know at the festival that it was an attack by Hamas?
When we left the venue, we hadn’t noticed anything unusual. There were still police officers and cars on the streets. As usual – only with rockets. But we’ve never had this kind of slaughter before. They came like ISIS or al-Qaeda style, on trucks, motorcycles and quads, and shot people. They threw grenades at peaceful civilians who had just come to dance and enjoy the music.
They talked about the two artists who were afraid because they didn’t know about rocket attacks. Are you used to such attacks?
I’m not used to it because I don’t live near the Gaza Strip and don’t come under regular rocket fire. But life in southern Israel is terrible! There have been attacks there for years. Not with trucks and motorcycles, but the artillery is always there. This is, so to speak, Hamas’s favorite method.
What was the first thing you did when you arrived at the villa?
We hadn’t understood the extent of things until then, but since there was rocket fire, the first thing we did was of course go into the bunker. Only then did we get the calls, texts and distress calls from all the people on the ground and in the streets who were being ambushed, being shot at by terrorists, or seeing others being slaughtered. That’s exactly when we realized the situation and started communicating with everyone we could. Within minutes we called the entire events industry, music and event community to let them know there was an emergency. Then it was the turn of the military and the police, we wanted to explain to as many people as possible what was happening so that the people who were still at the venue could get help.
How can you imagine the emergency calls you received?
We had many calls from friends. Many of them played dead, hid in dumpsters or ran miles into the desert to get away from the terrorists. People saw hell before their eyes. This is the worst, worse than any other worst case scenario. It was a massacre, a slaughter. Hamas attacks everything and everyone. It doesn’t matter whether you are Jewish, Christian or Muslim, what country you come from or what skin color you have. They kidnap children and the elderly, they rape women, they burn people alive in their own homes, and they attack ambulances trying to save lives. They have no borders, which is why the world needs to come together now. We must prevent them from becoming the next ISIS.
What does daily life look like in Israel since the attack?
The situation is very difficult at the moment. Many people are no longer working and many places are closed. You have to stay close to family and bunkers because the rocket attacks continue. The alarms are increasing every day, across the country. We try to do our best, but all of life stands still. Everything is so fragile and tense at the moment, and one can only speculate about what will happen next. You don’t know that. Nor whether Hezbollah or Iran will intervene. A lot of friends, colleagues and people were kidnapped. They are tortured, humiliated, raped and mutilated in the Gaza Strip. That’s why the most important thing right now is to bring these people back before Hamas executes or beheads them. One moment these people were happy in a safe space surrounded by their friends, and the next they are tied up in Gaza and being tortured. No one deserves something like that and it should not be accepted.