May Hayat, a survivor of a Hamas attack at an Israeli music festival, returned to the site of the event in an emotional visit. Hayat, who worked as a bartender at the festival, narrowly escaped death when Hamas gunmen attacked on October 7th, killing 260 people and taking hostages. During the attack, she hid under a stage, smeared a victim’s blood on her face, and pretended to be dead. Hayat hoped that returning to the venue near Kibbutz Re’im in southern Israel would help her come to terms with her trauma.
Hayat expressed her belief that Hamas is a terrorist organization that wants to kill Israelis, including Arab Israelis. She warned that if other countries do not wake up, they will eventually face similar attacks. According to Israeli tallies, 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians, were killed in the October 7th attacks, and more than 200 were abducted. In retaliation, Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed over 10,000 people, with around 40% of them being children.
During her visit to the festival venue, Hayat searched for the hiding place she used during the attack but could not find it. She was on edge and took cover multiple times when she heard loud noises or what sounded like rocket fire from Gaza. A friend’s brother, who lost his life in the attack, consoled her with a hug. Although the visit brought tears to her eyes, Hayat remained composed and did not openly weep.
Hayat recounted that the attack began when Hamas started firing rockets into southern Israel while young people were dancing at around 6:30 a.m. on October 7th. When the Hamas gunmen arrived at the music festival, some on foot and others on motorbikes, Hayat and a man hiding with her were discovered. She feared for her life but managed to escape when one of the gunmen took pity on her during an argument with the other. She found refuge under a stage and played dead by smearing a victim’s blood on her face.
Several hours after the attack began, Israeli soldiers arrived and rescued Hayat. She recalled hearing their approach and screaming for help before they came to her aid. The visit to the festival site was a significant step for Hayat in processing her traumatic experience. The article was auto-generated from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by NDTV staff.
