Captain Doron Spielman near the catastrophe zone
(Nir (Shoko) Cohen)
A day and a half following the deadly Hamas terrorist attack on a desert rave near Kibbutz Re'im, the scope of the massacre is gradually coming to light. On Sunday, Moti Bokchin, the spokesman for the ZAKA emergency service, said that some 260 bodies have been recovered so far from the party site near the Gaza border.
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"We started our deployment to the area on Saturday at noon, I think we recovered all the victims there, but we still haven't finished scanning the entire surrounding area," he said.
Bokchin painfully described what he saw at the site that turned into a killing ground. "We drove along the road, and it was a sight that I've never seen before, in all the years I served in ZAKA. I thought I had reached the peak of all horrors," he said.
"We were driving in a car, and every 30-40 meters we stopped and saw vehicles with bodies inside, young people. There were also vehicles that the terrorists set on fire after murdering the passengers."
The ZAKA spokesman noted that the organization's team, along with about 450 volunteers, have so far located hundreds of bodies. This figure does not include those murdered in the surrounding kibbutzim. "We cannot reach them yet," explained Bokchin, since the army has not yet cleared the rescuers to enter the area. Bokchin also noted that his organization has a severe shortage of helmets and protective vests - and he is requesting donations from the public.
Israel Defense Forces Captain Doron Spielman showed Ynet on Monday a road near Kibbutz Re'im "where the jihadis were driving with a turret, spraying wild gunfire, spraying all these cars here."
"Innocent civilians were simply massacred in an instant, someone clearly shot at the vehicle, stopped the jihadi vehicle of Hamas terrorists, who probably got out and began shooting by hand. We see here everything from baby carriages to gloves of children to picnic baskets," he said.
"This is the place where if anybody has a question about what Hamas has in store for Israel - This is where you can see it," Spielman warned.
Spielman speculated that there are stull terrorists in the area. "We have a pretty good hold but we are on high alert right now," he said.
In photos - The moments of happiness before the terror attack
The hundreds who spent time at the desert rave found themselves fleeing for their lives on Saturday morning following the surprise attack that started the Iron Swords war. Just a short while beforehand, those who attended the desert rave danced, rejoiced and laughed - not knowing how that party would end and what would happen to many of them. Photographer Ido Derbi took pictures at the party and managed to capture the moments of joy, which became the last moments of happiness for many murdered people.
