We went out to the Nova party. I went to photograph the event and was super excited because it's known as one of the best and most popular festivals in the country. We had been looking forward to it for a while. We arrived at the festival, and the energy levels were indescribable. Stands, two giant stages, thousands of people, Israelis, tourists, people from almost every corner of the world were there.
At around 5:50 am, I told my boyfriend Arthur, who had come with me, that we should go to the car with all the equipment and change into comfortable shoes. I had a strange feeling, suddenly I wasn’t in the mood to take any photos. I don't know why; it wasn't because it was a bad party or anything like that. I just had a really weird feeling, and as soon as I opened the car door, to take a break so that we could go back to enjoy the party, the biggest disaster imaginable began.
Missiles were fired at the area; we didn't know what to do, whether to go back to the open area or stay near the car. What do we do from here? Was the party canceled? How do we get home?
“Suddenly, we heard gunshots. We panicked. No one knew what to do or which way to go.”
I remember sitting on the floor with hands over my head for half an hour, not knowing what to do. Friends who were at the party called; I told them to come towards the car, and we would figure out what to do. We stood there, debating for a few minutes about what to do, whether to leave or stay. Suddenly, we heard gunshots. We panicked. No one knew what to do or which way to go. Some of our friends, who were among the first ones who had left, are still missing. We decided to get in the car and drive in the opposite direction of where we heard the gunshots. Those were the longest minutes of my life.
On the way, I saw people using broken glass bottles to protect themselves. I couldn't comprehend the movie we were in. Suddenly, someone shouted that the terrorists were also coming from the other side on ATVs. All of this happened while missiles were exploding all around us. We decided to get out of the car and run into a bunker nearby, pray, and hope everything would be okay. I hid there with my boyfriend, and friends from the car. We still didn't understand what was happening.
“We ran together in the field like crazy people, screams and gunfire filling the air. Nowhere to go, and no one to save us except ourselves.”
We returned to the car and started driving, getting closer to the road, and then again, we saw tons of people running in panic. At this point, we realized that the terrorists were getting very close to us on ATVs. We started to run. At this point, I lost sight of all of them [my friends], but I didn't give up. I ran until I found them again. We ran together in the field like crazy people, screams and gunfire filling the air. Nowhere to go, and no one to save us except ourselves. I didn't stop praying and hoping that it would end soon.
I don't know how my car didn't get stuck in the sand, but we got out of there. We reached the road, and we didn't know which way to turn, right or left. Eventually, we turned left and caught gunshots from terrorists who approached us. We quickly accelerated and drove in the opposite direction at 200 km/h.
The road looked like a battlefield. Incomprehensible. In the end, we reached the Tze'elim army base, and there was a police vehicle that directed us there. We waited there until the evening, where I met two more friends, and a few other people who stayed from the party. Everyone was helpless and unsure; no one knew what would happen next, what to do, and when we would leave. Even the soldiers weren’t aware of what had happened. A state of confusion, complete confusion. How could something like this happen? It's simply a disaster. My friends who left early are still missing, and their families are helpless.
I can't digest what we went through there. It was a holocaust. They slaughtered us, and I miraculously survived. I'm still afraid to leave the house and do things alone. The country must put an end to this.
Chanelle B.
Taken from Ashdodnet