Israeli festival attendees played dead for hours to try to stay alive during Hamas attack
- Festival attendees in Israel played dead to try to stay alive during Hamas' attack on Saturday.
- Others fled or hid in trees. One Israeli NGO said at least 260 people were killed at the site.
Attendees of a music festival in Israel played dead for hours after Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel on Saturday, according to a new report.
Armed fighters arrived at the Nova outdoors festival shortly after the attack began, shooting into the crowds and taking hostages.
Videos shared on social media showed panicked attendees fleeing the scene, as Insider previously reported.
Some festival-goers lay on the ground playing dead until they heard voices speaking Hebrew and felt they were safe to reveal themselves, The Guardian reported.
Others said they hid in trees, or were able to slowly creep away.
Israeli rescue service Zaka said 260 bodies were recovered from the festival site, but Israeli officials have not said how many were injured or taken hostage there.
Another video shows a woman pleading with her captors not to be killed as she is separated from her partner and taken hostage, before being driven away on a motorbike.
Israel's prime minister said Hamas and Gaza would pay an "unprecedented price" for the attacks.
Israel said that by Sunday more than 700 Israelis had been killed, with 2,150 more injured and an undisclosed number taken hostage.
Palestine's health ministry said that on Sunday at least 413 Palestinians had been killed.
On Monday Israel announced a "complete siege" of Gaza, cutting its its electricity, food, water, and fuel.