Israel says 260 dead at music festival attacked by Hamas

Families share photos of loved ones missing after all-night dance event was raided by militants

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At least 260 people are confirmed to have died at an Israeli music festival that was attacked by Hamas fighters on Saturday.

Israel's Zaka search and rescue agency on Sunday confirmed the deaths to state broadcaster Kan.

Revellers attending the all-night Nova rave at Kibbutz Re'im, near the Gaza border, were gunned down in a morning attack by militants who arrived by microlight planes.

"We collected over 250 bodies from the nature party. They haven't all been collected yet," Zaka said. It later revised the figure to 260.

Footage showed revellers fleeing the festival as gunmen opened fire. A number of people are believed to have been taken hostage and smuggled over the border to Gaza.

On a Facebook page set up to help to trace survivors, dozens of photos of smiling young people from Israel and other countries were shared, along with their mobile phone numbers and appeals for information.

While the event was promoted as a peace festival celebrating unity and harmony, it took place on illegally occupied land, close to the Gaza border.

The festival included several artists from across the globe, alongside a line-up of local DJs.

Artists from countries including Japan, France, Mexico, Brazil, Sweden, Germany, the UK, Hungary and India were performing.

Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth estimated that 70 per cent of the participants were from Israel, while the remaining 30 per cent travelled from other countries, including the US and Australia.

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  Shani Louk, a German-Israeli, was one of the first victims to be identified following a brutal attack on the Nova music festival. Her family now says they believe she is alive. @shanukkk/ Instagram

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  Cars are abandoned near where a festival was held before an attack by Hamas gunmen from Gaza that left at least 260 people dead. Reuters

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  People mourn at the graveside of Eden Guez, who was killed as she attended a festival that was attacked by Hamas gunmen. Reuters

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  Eyewitness footage captures the moment that festival-goers run through a field to escape Hamas gunmen. Supplied