Israeli music manager says Hamas attack on music festival is ‘more than a war crime’

Raz Gaster escaped the massacre by driving away with some of his acts in a car from the festival

A music artist manager has recalled how he escaped the Hamas massacre of a dance festival in southern Israel - as he described the terrorist group’s actions as “much more than war crime”.

Raz Gaster was representing several artists at Supernova festival when heavily-armed militants crossed the border from Gaza and launched an attack on Saturday morning, killing an estimated 260 people.

In contrast to earlier videos of festival-goers happily dancing at the all-night party, distressing footage on social media showed terrified people running toward open fields as gunshots were fired as the assault commenced.

Speaking to The Independent, Mr Gaster said: “Some of my real closest friends are still unaccounted for, some are dead. Many friends not from the party, also from the south of Islam are missing, their families were kidnapped to the Gaza Strip.

“Thousands of people who came to enjoy music, dance, and party, and suddenly thousands of them were on the floor hiding and looking for shelter from the rockets.”

Mr Gaster said the panic started after “a massive bombardment” of rockets and mortars in the surrounding area.

He said: “We took shelter in the backstage, covering our heads, you know, lying down lying on the ground, waiting for anything to happen. And then after two minutes, I realised that no, this is not a good place to be. We need to get out of here as fast as possible.”

Mr Gaster then helped the artists he represented get to their cars and escape safely before entering his vehicle.

He said: “We didn’t stop. We drove 200 k/ph. Knowing that when we got out, there was only rockets and mortars. But we already started getting the calls about what’s happening really on site.

The site of the Novo festival after the attack on Saturday morning (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

“We didn’t see it. We drove so fast out without looking back. We didn’t see what was happening behind us. The plan was to get to a safe place and to do it as fast as possible.”

“We started getting all the calls from the people inside asking for help, saying exactly what is happening and asking for aid.”

He added: “This is a crime, but much more than a war crime. We came there to enjoy, to dance and to party. People were sleeping in their homes. And were executed in cold blood only because of who they are and where they live. This is not a fight for freedom this is monsters that are not human.”

Israeli authorities confirmed at least 260 bodies were recovered from the electronic music festival, Among the dead was British man Jake Marlowe, whose death was confirmed on Wednesday.

The surprise Hamas advancement on Saturday morning also saw attacks of settlements in the southern region of Israel, resulting in the death of 1,300 Israelis, with a further 3,200 wounded.

Israel responded with airstrikes on Gaza, where the death toll currently stands at 1,537, with 6,612 wounded.

On Friday morning, Israel ordered the evacuation of northern parts of Gaza as the military seemlingly prepared for an invasion.