DLNews World at War:

He survived. The bracelet from the desert festival is still hanging around his wrist.

Ephraim Mardo Chai (23) sits on his balcony north of Tel Aviv. He tells about the horror he experienced at the “Festival for Peace” near Re’im, which Hamas terrorists stormed on Saturday morning – and shot around 260 people.

Israeli festival visitors flee from the terrorists. 260 civilians were murdered.

There was “a lot of love, respect, and freedom.”

“I had been waiting for this trance festival for a long time. It took place in Israel for the first time,” says Ephraim. "Everyone was happy. It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life. That was very special: a lot of love, respect, and freedom.”

After the sunrise, the festival visitors celebrated wildly. A few minutes later, the terrorists attacked.

A freedom that radical Islamists sincerely hate.

At 7 a.m., festival-goers suddenly heard rockets. “Then we heard shots from automatic weapons. They came from all sides,” recalls Ephraim.

Festival visitors flee the terrorists and seek shelter from the gunfire behind trees. 

He saw terrorists in cars. Ephraim: “They shot everyone they passed. Some thought that if they played dead, it might help them. Others like me ran into the bushes. They also shot those who pretended to be dead. They not only wanted to kill but also to degrade.” Many civilians were also kidnapped.

Drone footage after the massacre shows traces of the heavy fighting between Israelis.

“An organized army against 3,000 unarmed people”

Around 3,000 people ran unprotected across a field in panic. He tried to hide. “They came with sniper rifles, drones, rocket launchers. They came like an organized army against 3,000 unarmed people.”

One of the terrorists on the festival grounds. He wears a green headband and carries a machine gun.

A sniper targeted Ephraim.

The fear of death that the young man endured must have been unimaginable.

“I ran from bush to bush and looked around now and then. I saw terrorists coming out of the air with parachutes. I saw drones. I heard the screaming and the shots,” reports Ephraim.

When the police and army arrived, it was difficult for them to recognize among the approximately 3,000 people who was a terrorist and a harmless festival visitor.

“I was lying in the bush; then I heard sniper shots. I was an officer and sniper, and I know what that sounds like. Whistle, whistle, whistle. I saw the dust swirling near me where bullets were hitting. I knew then that the shooter wanted to kill me.”

One of the terrorists shoots a person lying on the ground - a merciless execution.

We didn't know where to go. Because the terrorists came from all sides, we drove to a military base ten kilometers away. On the way, we saw wrecked cars and corpses everywhere.”