A memorial service has been held at the festival site in Israel where Hamas killed 364 concertgoers and took dozens of others hostage.
Hamas stormed the Supernova Sukkot trance music gathering, held in the desert near Kibbutz Re’im, less than 5km from the Gaza Strip, on 7 October as part of the coordinated attacks on Israel.
According to Boise State Public Radio, yesterday’s memorial featured music from Israeli DJs, while the faces of the victims were projected onto screens. The event was hastily put together as the army had given clearance only four days before.
“The charred cars have been hauled away, and roads are being repaved, but there are still a few mangled beach chairs and broken coolers,” reports NPR‘s Eleanor Bardsley.
The Jerusalem Post states that Israeli DJ RITMO paid a separate tribute to the victims yesterday morning by playing a set in front of their photos, which were hung up onto wooden posts in the otherwise empty field. An Israeli flag made out of sunflowers was placed in front of the photos.
Supernova was attended by around 4,000 people, but while the attack was the deadliest ever assault on a music event, police believe the perpetrators only became aware a major event was taking place in the Re’im area and headed towards it after police began dispersing festival-goers because of the wider attacks.
Supernova was organised by promoter Tribe of Nova and was staged under Brazil’s Universo Paralello brand
The death toll from the massacre was initially estimated to be at least 260 people, but has since been raised by more than 100. A 21-year-old woman abducted from the festival was among the 17 hostages freed by Hamas last weekend on the second day of the Israel-Hamas truce.
Supernova was organised by promoter Tribe of Nova and was staged under Brazil’s Universo Paralello brand. Acts included Artifex, Aladin, Astral Projection, Flare, Jackalon, Jumpstreet, Kido, Libra, Man With no Name, Noface, Protonica, Rocky Tilbor, Shove, Spectra Sonics, Swarup and Wegha.
Executives from Israel’s live music industry have called the Hamas attack the “biggest-ever disaster at a music festival”, adding that business will be paused for the foreseeable future.
Tribe of Nova’s Omri Sassi and Nimrod Arnin paid tribute to the victims at an official memorial ceremony held earlier this month at Kibbutz Sdot Yam.
“We went through something that we had no control over, we will take care of everyone and help everyone,” they said. “We love the country. We will dance again and that will be our victory.”
Sassi and Arnin, who both lost relatives in the 7 October attack, also reportedly staged a tribute concert for the victims in Sdot Yam, a kibbutz near Caesarea.
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