Journalists take cover behind cars as Israeli soldiers take position during clashes with Palestinian fighters near the Gevim Kibbutz, close to the border with Gaza on October 7, 2023. Photo by Getty Images

This article originally appeared on Haaretz, and was reprinted here with permission. Sign up here to get Haaretz’s free Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox.

Among the dead in Saturday’s attack by Palestinian militant groups were attendees of an outdoor rave, with many still missing and in hiding. Witnesses reported terrorists on motorcycles opening fire on hundreds of people who had already begun to flee the party because of rocket fire, which wounded some participants. The attack took place in a forest next to Kibbutz Re’im.

One party attendee, Adam Barel, said everyone had been aware of the general possibility of sporadic rocket fire in the area, but was taken completely by surprise by the gunfire.

Many tried to flee during the ensuing panic, Barel said. His attempt to escape with others in his car was thwarted when they encountered a jeep containing gunmen who began firing at them. He opened the door and ran, he said. “People were hit,” he said. “We hid. Everyone ran somewhere else.”

The military took five hours to arrive, Barel said, as partygoers hid in bushes together with police officers serving as security. Other attendees said dozens hid in nearby ditches and orchards, begging for help.

Another attendee, Omer, said the gunfire had come from all directions. Chaos ensued as people ran and jumped onto any vehicle they could, he said. He managed to escape with some other people, but they found the road littered with burnt cars. Gunmen opened fire at the group again, he said. “It was a battlefield.”

One attendee spoke as he was still in hiding, saying, “It was mayhem. They came from everywhere.”

Relatives and friends of missing attendees have meanwhile been searching for information about their loved ones on social media. “As soon as the barrages started, we called Shahar, and he didn’t pick up,” said Michael Zrihan, whose nephew, Shahar Mantsur, was missing.

“His girlfriend answered afterward and said Shahar had gotten a bullet in the neck, and she was hiding in the car. We managed to contact her again two hours later, and she was screaming, ‘I’m being shot at, I don’t know what to do,’ and we’ve lost contact since then.”

The attack came as dozens of Palestinian militants infiltrated Israel from Gaza by land, sea and air. At least 70 Israelis were killed and over 900 wounded as attackers attacked communities near the border, while some civilians were being held hostage in their homes.

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