Israeli festivalgoer describes terrifying moment Hamas terrorists armed with automatic weapons opened fire on revellers running for their lives and went ‘tree by tree’ shooting people

An Israeli festivalgoer has described the horrifying moment Hamas gunmen stormed a dance festival and started opening fire on anybody they saw as people fled for their lives. 

A terrified Gili Yoskovich hid under a tree for three hours as bullets whizzed around her as terrorists opened fire on Saturday morning at defenceless revellers at an all-night trance music rave near Kibbutz Re’im, close to the Gaza Strip. 

The young mother described how young people – whose night celebrating the end of the Sukkot religious holiday had turned to terror – were dying all around her and on the road as Hamas militants went ‘tree to tree’ shooting. 

As the callous gunmen opened fire, Gili sprinted for her life and hid beneath a fruit tree in the middle of the field where she stayed until she heard people speaking in Hebrew and was rescued by Israeli soldiers.  

‘I saw people were dying all around. I was very quiet. I didn’t cry, I didn’t do anything,’ she told the BBC.

‘I was… breathing, saying: “OK, I’m going to die. It’s OK, just breathe, just close your eyes”.’

Footage emerged showing how festival goers appeared to be oblivious to the impending terror floating hundreds of feet above their heads in the distance in footage posted to TikTok.

The footage, shot soon after sunrise, sees the eagle-eyed cameraperson suddenly zoom in on grey dots in the air, which turn out to be Palestinian militants.

Hamas fighters managed to infiltrate Israel essentially undetected by paragliding across the normally heavily guarded frontier.

Moments later, the dancing stops and out terror ensues as festival goers are forced to run for their lives as armed Hamas fighters began shooting and kidnapping whoever lay in their path.

The partygoers were surrounded as terrorists came out them ‘from four or five places’.

Gili said: ‘They were going tree by tree and shooting. Everywhere. From two sides. I saw people were dying all around. I was very quiet. I didn’t cry, I didn’t do anything.’