Over 260 Bodies Found at Israel Music Festival... Death Toll Exceeds 1,000 in Two Days

Rescue Group "Still Not Fully Recovered... Casualties"
Death Toll on Both Sides Exceeds 1,100 Two Days into the War

On the 7th (local time), as war began with a large-scale surprise attack on Israel by the Palestinian armed faction Hamas, it was reported that hundreds of bodies were found piled up around a music festival venue.

On the 8th, the British newspaper The Independent reported that ZAKA, an emergency rescue organization responsible for handling the bodies of victims killed in Hamas's attack, recovered 260 bodies around the music festival venue in the southern Israeli kibbutz of Re'im.

On social media (SNS), videos have been spreading showing armed militants kidnapping music festival participants near the venue, and crowds fleeing from their gunfire.

The videos show hundreds of participants running to escape gunfire and hiding among trees as the sound of gunshots echoes. Some were reportedly kidnapped by Hamas.

The Gaza Strip in Palestine, reduced to ruins by the Israeli military's counterattack in response to the surprise attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas [Image source=Yonhap News]

Lisa, the mother of Jake Marlow (26), a British security guard who went missing at the festival site, told the media, “At 4:30 a.m. yesterday, my son called and said, ‘Rockets are flying around.’”

She added, “Then at 5:30 a.m., he sent a text saying, ‘The signal is weak but everything is okay. I will keep in touch. I love you.’” Marlow’s current status is unknown.

ZAKA stated, “Not all bodies have been recovered yet.” The number of victims who died here may increase.

Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, the international spokesperson for the Israeli military, said, “We are deeply concerned about the safety of the hostages,” and added, “No one can guarantee that they will return alive under the current circumstances.”

The death toll on both sides of Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip has exceeded 1,100 just two days into the war. The number of injured has also sharply increased, with 2,100 in Israel and 2,300 in Gaza Strip. The total number of injured on both sides reaches 4,400.

The New York Times (NYT) reported, “The scale of damage over these two days is greater than the total damage caused by Palestinian attacks on Israel over the past 20 years.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.