‘Heard taking pictures near me’: Israeli girl who survived music pageant assault

Tal Ben-Dror was among the many 1000’s who had thronged to an unlimited discipline in southern Israel close to the Gaza border for a music pageant. Music, dance, alcohol fueled the festive temper because the in a single day social gathering continued. However, at round 6:40 am, the social gathering scene changed into a nightmare for all these current there.

“There were around 3,000-4,000 people at the party. I came with some 15 friends and we arrived at 2 am. The rocket attack started around 6:40 am,” Tal Ben-Dror advised India Today TV.

She, together with different Israelis, trusted the Iron Dome to deal with the airstrikes. The anti-missile system did its job and intercepted over 5,000 rockets launched from Gaza. However, Hamas had assaults deliberate on the bottom as effectively.

Recalling the second when the rocket assault occurred, Tal Ben-Dror stated, “The security guy waved his hand and shouted and then they stopped the music and told us ‘Guys take your stuff and go home, just leave’.”

“But we were still chill. We thought there were only rockets and we’d get back home safely. We called the driver of the minibus in which we had arrived. I had friends who went separately in cars and I did not understand the panic yet. I sent audio messages…and now I can hear the shooting (in the audio message). At the time, I did not know about the shooting,” she stated.

“We sat on the minibus and waited. We wanted to wait because we knew that the traffic would be crazy and people were driving with alcohol in their blood…And so we said, ‘let’s wait 10-15 minutes. Let’s not drive with everyone else’. The decision saved our lives basically.”

Tal Ben-Dror stated she had no concept that Hamas terrorists had entered Israel. “But then when we sat in the minibus, someone started screaming ‘Terrorists are arriving, run for your lives’,” she stated.

“We started running. We split, not on purpose, and then five of us ran, and two of my friends found a car because one of them had trouble running. Three of us were running and then someone got shot twice in the leg in front of us. And then we were hiding, hiding behind bushes, hiding behind trees, hiding and running while we heard the shooting so close to us,” Tal Ben-Dror stated as she went by way of the sequence of occasions on that fateful day.

The social gathering was organised in a discipline outdoors of Kibbutz Re’im, about 5.3 kilometers from the wall that separates Gaza from southern Israel.

Tal Ben-Dror, who had served within the Army on the base that was 5 minutes from the social gathering location, couldn’t consider how the assault occurred.

“The party was authorized by the IDF and by the police. If not, I wouldn’t go…But ,terrorists coming to us, shooting, kidnapping, raping, murdering…No, hell no. It is not an accident. Something more serious is happening here.”

She urged the Israeli authorities to convey again the lacking folks.

“Our friend stayed there and we have no answer whether she has been murdered or kidnapped or has been hiding since Saturday. We have no answer,” Tal Ben-Dror stated, as she broke down in tears.

Published On:

Oct 13, 2023