Gabay says he intends to join fight against Hamas as soldier when he recovers
Israeli festival survivor describes witnessing Hamas' massacre: 'Horror show'
Shahar Gabay, who survived a terror attack by Hamas at a festival that killed at least 260 people, describes being hunted by terrorists 'animals.'
A man who miraculously survived Hamas’ brutal terrorist attack on Israel describes the "horror show" he endured watching a massacre happen live as bullets were flying around him "in every direction" for at least five hours as he ran about 19 miles until he made it to safety.
The survivor also describes a chilling moment when he took a call from his father while being shot at during what he thought were his last moments alive. At least 260 people were killed in the terror attack on the Tribe of Nova Trance music festival.
Shahar Gabay attended the Saturday festival near the Israel-Gaza border that was one of the first targets of terrorism. Hamas terrorists used motor-powered hang gliders to enter the area, and shot at attendees for over four hours as they attempted to flee. Some were taken into Hamas captivity, and others were raped next to the dead bodies of their friends, according to a report from Tablet.
"(The festival) was normal and it was really fun and then everything started to happen," Gabay told Fox News Digital. "We heard explosions and missiles and everything around us just changed in a minute. Total shock. Everyone ran. Everyone screamed. Everyone didn't know what to do. Also, you need to understand that at this location there is no safe place to be. There's no cover. It's all open fields and the missiles are within seconds of being launched on us."
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Shahar Gabar speaks to FOX News Digital about dodging Hamas bullets for at least four or five hours as he made a miraculous escape to safety. (FOX News Digital)
Gabay described a terrifying ordeal lasting more than five hours as he dodged bullets from terrorists. He described how terrifying it was that there was no place to hide, since the area was a flat desert.
Israel formally declared war on Hamas Sunday after the Palestinian terrorist group launched a brutal, pogrom-style campaign against Israeli civilians at the festival and communities in southern Israel. The carnage caused a Pentagon official and numerous reporters to break down while discussing Hamas' atrocities, which included mass killings and executions, rapes, slaughtering infants and burning bodies.
Gabay described how he attempted to hide with his friend at numerous times as Hamas terrorists hunted them down for hours. At first, he and his friends hid between two containers when missiles landed from overhead. Then, he learned that terrorists had snuck into Israel. Hamas terrorists started "shooting in every direction" as Gabay and his friends ran "as fast as (they) could" and jumped on an ambulance, but it got stuck amid the chaos, and they proceeded to jump on a van to escape.
This image from video provided by South First Responders shows charred and damaged cars along a desert road after an attack by Hamas terrorists at the Tribe of Nova Trance music festival near Kibbutz Re'im in southern Israel on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. (South First Responders via AP)
But eventually, they had to abandon the van and run on foot in a "terrifying" moment.
"Everyone was hanging on it," he recalled. "Then the van arrived to this road where one side was blocked by all the cars (that were) left behind, and the other car was a group of terrorists… They shot directly at us. The van got all the bullets flying and glass breaking and it was terrifying at this moment. … We were panicked. We didn't know what to do and we just… jumped out of the van and we were by foot."
The victims were surrounded by an "unstoppable mass of terrorists" shooting at them.
"I was terrified for my life ... people all around me getting slaughtered and just a massacre," Gabay said. "We actually ran for one-and-a-half kilometers of open field with nothing to protect us, with terrorists shooting all around and we had no sleep, no food, no water, no one to protect us, just miserably getting shot at. At this time, my dad called me. I told him I love him. I was panicked and I think he realized what was happening and realized that I'm saying my last good-bye."
Hamas terrorists takes hostages from festival into the Gaza Strip. (Hamas-Telegram)
Gabay miraculously survived the terrorist attack and says he cannot sleep at night because of the horror he went though.
"I saw things that are terrifying. I saw bodies. I saw people getting slaughtered and murdered. I saw a massacre on live, like it's something normal, but it was terrifying. I didn't think for a second that I was going to experience such an awful event."
Gabay says he intends to join the fight against terror as a soldier when he recovers from what he went through. He added that when he was a combat soldier, there were strict guidelines of how Israel Defense Force soldiers are expected to treat enemy soldiers and civilians.
"I was always taught to be human first. If we did something that was even close to what they did, we would be [put] in prison, we would be judged the harshest way… People need to know the difference [between us and them]. Hamas is no army, no country. They are just terrorists without any heart," he said.
Regarding Hamas taking videos of their atrocities, he said, "They're just merciless animals. They don't have a soul. They're not the same as me. I cannot conclude their appearance as human. The things they did, it's just horrible, terrifying. And all the slaughtering and a big massacre of innocent people… Just merciless terrorists."
Israeli girl captured by Hamas terrorists and taken into Gaza strip. Not pictured, the girl's pants were soaked in blood by the backside. (FOX News Digital )
The young man told Fox News Digital that there is not one person in Israel who is not experiencing trauma and everyone is ready to do what they can to help others.
"The greatest power of Israel at these moments are the morality," he reflected. "Even though we were all hurt inside and we're all deeply scarred, but I think that's the morality and the responsibility to realize that all we got is each other and we need to protect our country together without an exception. That's what makes us stronger and that's how we'll get through this even after those horrible events."
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Hannah Grossman is a Reporter at Fox News Digital.
