A 27-year-old Israeli woman was killed "execution style" while pretending to be dead in an attempt to be spared by Hamas gunmen who on Saturday stormed a trance music festival close to the Gaza Strip's border and massacred a large number of revelers. The young woman has been identified as Mapal Adam, sister of Ma'ayan Adam.
Ma'ayan Adam, 36, is a television personality known for appearing on Israel's "Dancing With The Stars" and anchoring a news program on a popular TV station. She shared a heart-wrenching post with her 300,000 Instagram followers, announcing the death of her sister. Her emotional post shed light on the grim circumstances surrounding Mapal's death.
Killed Mercilessly Along with Her Boyfriend
According to her sister, Ma'ayan Adam, Mapal Adam was fatally shot while being held by her boyfriend, who himself sustained gunshot wounds to the back during the tragic incident. He is reportedly expected to survive.
"On Saturday afternoon, in this idyllic setting, Mapal, our baby, hid underneath a truck and pretended as if she were dead," Ma'ayan Adam wrote in a message on Instagram that included a photo of her sister's cell phone.
The phone seen in the photo displayed an image of a photograph that seemed to be taken from beneath a vehicle.
"She held out for hours and didn't move until terrorists killed her execution style," the bereaved sister wrote.
"This is the last photo she took, this is her phone," Ma'ayan Adam wrote.
"She and her boyfriend, Roey, moved in together this past week and she was the happiest person in the world," Ma'ayan Adam wrote.
"He was lying next to her [as she lay on the ground], suffered gunshot wounds in the back, and survived to tell us how she died in his arms," she wrote.
Ma'ayan Adam expressed the profound anguish her family was enduring, stating that they were "crushed to pieces" and grappling with a pain she had never known could exist.
Killed Along With 260 Others
Mapal Adam was among the thousands of young Israelis who attended the Tribe of Nova trance music festival near Reim, a kibbutz located near the fence that rings the Gaza Strip. Witnesses recounted to various media outlets that Hamas gunmen overtook the concert area during the early hours of Saturday morning.
"Around 6:30 in the morning we started hearing explosions," Raz Gaster, a manager of musical acts who played at the festival, told Billboard.
"We went out of the backstage and we saw a full bombardment everywhere. It was hundreds of rockets and mortars flying from everywhere and explosions all around us."
Gaster mentioned that the security personnel present at the event instructed everyone to crouch on the ground and raise their hands above their heads.
After a few minutes, the police announced over the loudspeakers, "Okay, get in your cars and go," urging attendees to leave the area.
"The moment the policemen said 'Go now,' I ran," Gaster said.
"I didn't wait, because we know it's a rocket attack. You need to act quick."
Raziel Tamir, who was present at the music festival near Kibbutz Re'im, described being awakened by the horrifying sounds of gunshots, screams, and explosions at approximately 6 a.m. when the militant group started the carnage.
"When I went outside my tent, I saw a crazy number of bodies, and terrorists running and firing everywhere, throwing grenades and stun grenades at people," Tamir told the public radio outlet, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Raziel Tamir recounted that he and around 100 others were fortunate to survive the attack. Israeli soldiers acted heroically, using their own bodies as human shields to protect the people lying on the ground, attempting to evade the incoming gunfire and explosions.
"The soldiers protected us with their bodies, and we saw them falling before our eyes," he said.
Tamir described the attack as resembling a warzone. The terrified partygoers, including Tamir and his friends, sought refuge behind trees and bushes as Hamas forces targeted civilians and took hostages.
Tamir said that those who managed to flee into the woods were fortunate to avoid an immediate ambush that Hamas had planned for those unfortunate people who ran toward the parking center.
Appalling video clips from the aftermath of the assault reveal deserted festival tents and numerous burnt-out vehicles scattered along the roadside. The scenes depict the devastation and chaos that ensued as people tried to escape the horrific attack, underscoring the impact on those attending the festival.
As of Monday night, Hamas reportedly was holding over 150 hostages. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) indicated that the death toll had surpassed 700, with another 2,150 injured.
At least four Americans were confirmed to be among the dead.
