In an unprecedented and devastating turn of events, the Universo Paralello warmup party, hosted by Tribe of Nova near Kibbutz Re’im, just a few kilometres from the volatile Gaza border, stands as a harrowing testament to a night of terror and heartbreak.
What started as a beautiful desert rave, as Israel is known for, this festival of international unity has turned into a nightmare scene of recovery and anguish.
As the clock ticks, the search for answers and the missing continues relentlessly.
A grim count of 260 bodies has been recovered from the festival grounds, leaving heartbroken families in mourning and a global community in shock. But the horror doesn’t end there—roughly 250 festival attendees remain unaccounted for, some being held hostage in Gaza.
Hamas Terrorists Target Universo Paralello Israel Attendees
At 7 a.m. on October 7, Hamas terrorists infiltrated the festival, unleashing chaos by shooting at attendees and taking hostages. The festival grounds descended into panic, with the crowd dispersing in different directions. Recovery crews, entering the festival grounds 36 – 48 hours later, discovered a harrowing scene with 260 bodies recovered, and around 250 attendees still unaccounted for.
Eyewitness Account Adds Harrowing Details to the Story
An eyewitness from the Universo Paralello Israel attack stated:
“I was there when it started. They stopped the music, and we thought those were fireworks, but those were Iron Dome interceptions, and they became extremely frequent. It happened at around 7 AM, which means the majority of the party-goers were partying to meet the sunrise. Lots of young party-goers kidnapped. My friend was driving, and we hadn’t started partying yet, so we were more or less okay and just got the heck out of there about 5-10 minutes before small arms fire started.”
Another attendee shared a similar story:
“Many fell and were injured from the terrorist fire. The terrorists surrounded us. Somehow, we managed to escape the line of fire. They shot at us three times during the escape. There was a cell of four terrorists, then a cell of six.”
International Artists and Attendees in the Crossfire
Renowned psytrance artists such as Aladin (France), Noface (Israel), Jumpstreet (Switzerland), Swarup (Brazil), Spectra Sonics (Japan), Astral Projection (Israel), Liba (Israel), Man With No Name (United Kingdom), Rocky Tilbor (Israel), Protonica (Germany), and Radikal Moodz (France) were part of the festival lineup. Among the crowd were foreign travellers, adding to the international mix of festival-goers.
Simultaneously, Miri in the Desert festival, featuring artists like Volcano on Mars (Israel), Regan (South Africa), Dickster (United Kingdom), and Laughing Buddha (United Kingdom), was taking place. Fortunately, Miri in the Desert seems less impacted by the conflict.
ZAKA: Volunteers Lead the Recovery Effort
Amidst this tragedy, ZAKA, a volunteer emergency response group in Israel, has handled the daunting task of recovering the victims. Known for their unwavering dedication and expertise in emergency response, ZAKA volunteers have tirelessly combed through the festival site, providing an essential service in these dark hours.
The Desperate Search for Loved Ones
In the midst of this unfolding catastrophe, families and friends of the missing, including Noa Argamani, Shani Louk (Germany), Orión Hernández Radoux (Mexico), and Jake Marlowe (United Kingdom), are living through agonizing uncertainty. Their loved ones, captured in heart-wrenching video footage and held hostage during the attack, are among those whose fates remain unknown.
As an international community grapples with the enormity of this tragedy, the world watches with bated breath, hoping for any news that might bring solace to the grieving and closure to those waiting anxiously for word of their missing loved ones.
Tribe of Nova’s Response
Tribe of Nova, the festival organizers, released a statement expressing shock and pain at the tragic turn of events. The statement read, “The Nova tribe is shocked and pained. We support and participate in the grief of the families of the missing and murdered. We are doing everything we can to assist the security forces, standing by.”
Alok Clarifies Father’s Role
Earlier on Sunday, Alok, the globally known music producer, released a statement regarding his father Juarez Petrillo’s presence at the Israeli event. Petrillo is the founder of Universo Paralello Brazil, however, he had no direct involvement with Universo Paralello Israel, a warmup event.
Alok’s statement clarified, “As many of you know, my father was in one of the invaded locations, and concerning his involvement in the event, he is not the organizer. My father was HIRED to perform at an event that licensed the rights to use the festival’s name, as has happened in several other countries before. The Israeli producer licensed the use of the brand and independently organized the event, with my father being one of the attractions.”
As the investigation continues, the Tribe of Nova, Universo Paralello, IDF, ZAKA, and other parties, along with the dedicated efforts of the international community, are actively engaged in the search for the missing attendees and recovery efforts on the festival grounds.
