Israel (VG) 24-year-old Mai Naim fled to a shelter, but fell victim to bullets from Hamas soldiers during the attack at the festival on Saturday morning. “This is like a second Holocaust,” says Aunt Dalia Stein.
- Mai, 24, was killed by Hamas soldiers during a concert near the Gaza border on Saturday.
- She eventually took refuge in an open area for bombing, but was found and shot.
- More than 260 people were killed during the attack on the festival grounds.
Nearly a thousand mourners gathered at the small cemetery in Gan Haim, north of Tel Aviv. Many of them are young men in their early twenties. They will say goodbye to their best friend, 24 years old.
Last Friday, May wasn’t sure if she should go to a “Supernova” concert near Kibbutz Re’im in southern Israel, not far from the border with Gaza. She was tired and tired, and would rather stay at home. But a friend convinced her to join.
Happy and excited, she said goodbye to her family and went to the festival with her childhood friend Lotan Abeer.
disconnection
Hamas soldiers crossed the border into Israel by sea, across the fence separating the two countries, and by gliders on Saturday morning. It did not take long until they attacked the festival area, where about 3,500 young people had gathered.
She ran as far as she could away from the attack. I ran away and eventually found one One bomb bayOne bomb bayIn Israel, a number of simple shelters have been placed, including along roads. These are concrete structures that must withstand missile attacks. They have no doors so it is open to anyone who turns in..
I hid here with about 40 other festival participants.
– Hamas soldiers found them after a while. She was simply executed on the spot. The bomb room is used to cover up bomb attacks, not for people running around with machine guns, Aunt Dahlia told VG on Wednesday after May’s funeral.
absence of security
For three days the family lived in uncertainty. They didn’t know what happened.
Was she alive? Was she kidnapped and taken to Gaza?
The letter came from the morgue on Tuesday. There, an employee recognized my name. The family received devastating news.
– Her life has barely begun. She has just returned home from a half-year tour of South America. She was very happy and looking forward to starting her life properly here in Israel again. Dalia says: “What happened to us and the country is like a second Holocaust.”
Buried with best friend
The coffin is being transported with the 24-year-old towards the burial site. Behind mother, father, grandparents and siblings. Friends, acquaintances and neighbors. Crying and sadness.
I am one of more than 260 people killed inside and outside the festival site where the party was held. Videos posted on social media showed Hamas fighters attacking fleeing festival-goers.
A few meters away from her, her childhood friend Lotan Abeer was buried earlier in the day. They traveled together to celebrate, but never returned alive.
Over the loudspeakers in the cemetery comes a reminder that Israel is at war:
“I want to remind all of you here that we are at war. If you hear the alarm, everyone should lie down on the ground and cover their heads.”
“Coffee trailblazer. Certified pop culture lover. Infuriatingly humble gamer.”
