CORAL GABLES, FLA. (WSVN) - A group of survivors made a South Florida stop to share their stories of how they escaped the Hamas terrorist attack at an Israeli music festival.
The three survivors — Shye K. Weinstein, Kapah Dor and Or Elmakias — were invited on behalf of ISRAEL-is and the Seed the Dream Foundation’s “Survive to Tell” tour to share their heroic stories at the University of Miami on Monday.
“We hear everything that happen: the gunfire, the screaming, the chaos,” said Weinstein. “From that point on, we’re running, we’re escaping, we’re running for our lives.”
Hamas’ surprise attack at the music festival occurred on Oct. 7, on the Gaza Strip.
Authorities said 364 people were killed, at least 40 hostages were taken, and many more wounded at the Supernova Socket Gathering, a celebration called the Nova Music Festival.
The festival massacre was one of the first surprise attacks from Hamas on Israel.
“There were so many good people, and happy and joyful people, who just wanted to dance and enjoy music,” said Elmakias.
Dor, an Israel Defense Forces soldier and survivor, said he managed to escape from the terrorist attack and save seven people.
“I lost everything, I died on that day,” said Dor. “I lost my job, I lost my home, I lost my dogs, I lost the relationship I had.”
Elmakias, 27, was shot in the leg. She shared her courageous story of how she had to limp through fields on her own to survive.
“This is our story; it’s not just me or a personal story,” she said. “It’s about all of us, all the Jews, all the Israelis.”
Weinstein, a photographer at the festival, documented the horrors of the terrorist attack.
“We’re still seeing bodies, we’re seeing cars that are crashed, cars that are abandoned, cars that are riddled with bullets,” he said.
According to reports, 44 people have been taken by Hamas and remain missing.
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