‘Hid under bodies for 7 hours': Woman recalls miraculous escape from Hamas shooting rampage at Israel music festival

She and about 35 others took refuge in a bomb shelter — but the fighters found them

Trends Desk

Published: Tue 10 Oct 2023, 1:27 PM

A woman, who was at the music festival where Hamas militants opened fire, miraculously survived after she hid for seven hours under the bodies of those killed in the attack. Lee Sasi was one of the roughly 3,000 attendees, mostly young Israelis at the festival, who came under Hamas' surprise attack on October 7.

As the bullets rained, the attendees scurried for cover in the nearby orchards, the NY Post reported. According to Sasi, she and about 35 others took refuge in a bomb shelter but were found by Hamas fighters, who once again opened fire randomly at the bunker. "30-35 entered alive and only 10 came out alive," Sasi told her friend in a text exchange after surviving the deadliest civilian attack in the history of Israel.

In her messages to her friend, Sasi explained after attacking the party, the militants started shooting and throwing grenades into the bomb shelter, which had no doors. "15 grenades and 1000 ballots being shot," she told her friend.

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“I am not joking,” Sasi added and sent a photo of what looked like a pile of bodies stacked, according to the NY Post report.

Early Saturday morning, dozens of Hamas militants crossed into Israel despite a heavily fortified separation fence and launched indiscriminate firing. According to a report in the Associated Press, some of the music festival attendees were unable to make sense of what was happening.

It was a twin attack, according to revellers. As thousands of rockets rained down from the sky, the militants gunned down people who sought refuge in bomb shelters. The Hamas fighters have also allegedly kidnapped dozens of men, women and children apart from killing scores in Saturday's unprecedented attack.

According to Israel's rescue service Zaka, at least 260 died at the festival alone. The war’s death toll rose to nearly 1,600 on both sides, the AP report added.

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