Hamas Massacre at Israeli Music Festival: Hundreds Dead, More Than 100 Hostages Taken

Hundreds of Israelis were killed by Hamas gunmen who attacked a music festival in the Negev desert near the Gaza-Israel border on Saturday morning killing more than 260 people.

The festival-goers were celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukkot when the gunmen arrived around 6:30 a.m. and opened fire at them. Many people were sleeping or dancing in the open space and had no place to hide.

Some people tried to escape in their cars, but the roads were blocked and the gunmen kept shooting at them. Others ran across the fields, but many were shot down.

The attack was part of a larger operation by Hamas, which launched a massive barrage of rockets toward Israel, reaching as far as Tel Aviv and Beer Sheva. Israel said it intercepted most of the rockets, but one woman died and three others were injured.
Hamas also claimed to have infiltrated Israel through tunnels and attacked Israeli tanks and soldiers near the border. Israel said it killed 10 militants and foiled several attempts to breach its security fence.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to respond with great force and said Israel was at war with Hamas. Hamas said it wanted to liberate Jerusalem and its holy sites from Israeli occupation.

The attack sparked international outrage and calls for restraint from both sides. The UN Security Council urged both parties to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians.

In addition to the hundreds of dead, Hamas may have taken more than 100 Israeli hostages into Gaza, including women, children, and foreign nationals. Some of the hostages were captured from the festival site. Hamas said it would not release them until Israel freed its prisoners. This is a very serious situation that has escalated the conflict between Israel and Hamas.