Early Saturday morning, around 3,000 young people came by Israelis Dancing to the beat of electronic music at a festival in the desert, Hamas militiamen stormed in from Gaza, armed to the teeth, killing 260 people and kidnapping several more, in what is the bloodiest episode of this new war.

Around 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, with the first rays of sunshine, the anti-aircraft alarm and the sound of rockets launched from Gaza forced the music of the Tribe of Nova festival to stop and those in attendance to flee.

When Israeli emergency services gained access to the site yesterday, they found 260 lifeless bodies and traces of an unprecedented massacre.

Telephone lines are available to Ecuadorians in Israel and Palestine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not register compatriots among the victims

The event took place on the outskirts of kibbutz Reim, located less than ten kilometers from the separation fence that hundreds of militants from the Islamist Hamas movement crossed, sparking a war that has already left more than 900 dead and 2,600 injured in Israel and on at least 560 dead and 2,900 injured in Gaza as a result of Israeli retaliatory bombings.

“I was at the party hanging out with my friends and around 6:30 am we heard the sirens because of the rockets coming from Gaza. “We tried to leave the party area, but we understood that many terrorists were coming to slaughter us,” he says Ephe Gal Raz, a 31-year-old Israeli, from his home on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

“We tried to escape but the route was blocked by cars whose passengers were killed by the terrorists. We saw a lot of bodies,” adds the young man, who has hardly left home since then and who, when the army asked him to join the reserve, explained that he did not feel fit to serve.

Raz, who separated from the friend he had come with with the first rockets and the sound of gunfire, then decided to escape south with another group of Israelis, but a few meters away they encountered an ambush by Palestinian militiamen who opened fire on the vehicle they were traveling in.

“We managed to escape, but the car stopped and we had to continue on foot,” he said. Their plan then was to run to the nearest community, four miles away, but their relatives told them that Hamas had taken control of several nearby towns and suggested they hide in the bushes.

There he stayed with four people, lying down and with his head next to the ground, watching the militiamen pass by just a few meters from where he was, for the eight hours it took for the army to arrive. At that moment, he was able to watch a video on his mobile phone of how his friend Avinatán Or was kidnapped and taken to Gaza together with his girlfriend Noa Argamani; images that quickly went viral on social networks.

Since then, sadness, despair and anger coexist in him. While he expresses his frustration at the slow response of Israeli security forces, his anger is directed at the Palestinian militias: “After what they did on Saturday, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad must cease to exist.”

“They not only took Avinatán and Noa, they also took mothers, pregnant women, children and the elderly. They came only to cause panic and disaster for our people,” concluded Raz, who has joined a campaign to push for the release of more than 100 people captured by Hamas.

Dozens of foreigners took part in the festival and were killed, injured or taken hostage.

Below is the information released so far:

Thailand: According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at least twelve Thais were killed, eight were injured and eleven were kidnapped on Israeli soil. Nearly 30,000 Thais live in Israel and mainly work in agriculture.

Nepal: Nepal reported that 10 civilians were killed in the offensive, the ambassador in Tel Aviv said. Four other Nepalis are in hospital in Israel and the embassy reports that a fifth citizen of this Asian country is missing.

UNITED STATES: The United States confirmed the deaths of 11 Americans and a State Department spokesperson indicated several were missing. Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Michael Herzog, said Sunday he had heard reports that Americans were among the hostages, but had no further details.

Ukraine: Two Ukrainian women who had lived in Israel for a long time have died, the Kyiv Foreign Ministry said.

France: The attack killed two Frenchmen, according to the Foreign Ministry, which said it has no news of 14 of its citizens whose situation it considers “very worrying.”

Russia: At least one Russian has been killed and four others are missing, the Moscow embassy in Tel Aviv said on Monday, quoted by Russian authorities.

United Kingdom: Nathanel Young, 20, who served in the Israeli army, was killed in the attack, his family announced on Facebook on Sunday. Another 26-year-old British citizen is missing, the Israeli ambassador to Britain said.

Cambodia: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet confirmed the death of a student from the country who was in Israel.

Canada: The Canadian government said on Sunday it was trying to verify the death of a Canadian and the disappearance of two other citizens.

Argentina: Argentina’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the deaths of four Argentines and the disappearance of five others. Among the dead, one was identified as Rodolfo Fabián Skariszewski, who lived in Moshav Ohad, an Argentine Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed to AFP.

Germany: Several German citizens, who also had Israeli nationality, were kidnapped, the Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday.

Mexico: Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena reported that two Mexicans have been kidnapped in Israel.

Italy: Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani indicated that two citizens, who are also Israeli nationals, have been reported missing.

Brazil: Brazil’s Foreign Ministry reported on Sunday that “three Brazilians are missing” and one has been “hospitalized”.

Spain: There are two Spaniards “affected” by the Hamas attack, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares announced on public television TVE, refusing to give details about them or specify whether they died or not. kidnapped or missing.

Paraguay: Paraguay’s Foreign Ministry reported on Sunday the disappearance of two Paraguayan nationals living in Israel. The newspaper La Nación of Asunción published on its website on Sunday that “Paraguayan David Schvartzman and his wife were killed in the attacks on Israel.”

Colombia: The Israeli ambassador to Colombia indicated that two civilians are missing after being kidnapped. The State Department reported that it has “received some requests for assistance in locating two compatriots who were at a festival near the Gaza-Israel border at the time of the events.”

Tanzania: Tanzania’s ambassador to Israel, Alex Kallua, told AFP that two of his country’s citizens were missing.

Ireland: A 22-year-old Irish woman, who is also an Israeli national, is missing. (JO)