A young Israeli man narrowly escaped a music festival with his life when Hamas attacked thousands of young revellers with grenades and assault weapons.
Din Tesler, 21, was working, along with his close friend Bar Kupershtain, 21, at the Supernova festival in Re’im, southern Israel on October 7 when terror group Hamas launched the largest terrorist attack in Israel’s history.
During Din’s escape, he was just feet away from Hamas terrorists who were searching for survivors and, in many cases, executing them.
Speaking to Daily Express US about his experience hiding from the terrorists, Din said: “At that time, you understand you are going to die. You accept death. I know it is very sad to say but you accept your death.”
The attack began at 6.30am, and the celebratory mood of the festival was shattered as Hamas launched thousands of crude rockets into Israel. A short time later, terrorists began to storm the festival.
Din and his co-workers began to help people find a way out of the mayhem – they didn’t yet realise this was more than a typical Hamas rocket attack. I wounded woman rushed to him begging for help.
He said: “At that time my friend Bar and I drove our ATVs to take injured people to the ambulance on site.”
Soon, one of the police officers stationed at the festival armed only with pistols told the young men to run. They ran trying to help as many as they could.
By 7.30 three or four vehicles full of Hamas terrorists approached the crowd and opened fire. Bar told Din to run.
He said: “As I ran, people to my left and right were killed.”
He and Bar became separated – it was the last time Din saw his friend. He later learned through videos posted by Hamas to social media that his friend was being held hostage in Gaza.
Din ran into a wooded area with a group where they hid for a few hours. In an attempt to escape, they bolted but were blocked by Hamas terrorists just 50 meters away. The men opened fire.
He became separated from the group and hid in a bush where the young man filmed what he thought would be his last words at around 1.35pm. His phone died at 2.24pm.
A short time later three Hamas terrorists approached the bush. The men stood just meters away – Din accepted his death.
He said: “Then, I don’t know how it happened – thank you God – they passed next to me. One or two meters away.”
As night fell, Din decided to run away from the scene as fast as he could. After some time, he saw a vehicle on the road. Not knowing whether it was the army or the terrorists, he took a chance and flagged them down. It was two IDF soldiers.
They gave him water and helped him charge his phone so he could tell his family he was alive. The whole ordeal lasted 13 to 14 hours.
Others were not as lucky. Din has friends who were killed at the music festival massacre. He later saw a video shared on social media by Hamas. It showed a group of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Bar was among them.
Din says he misses his friend immensely and Bar did his best to help others at the music festival.
He added: “I don’t know what the world thinks about our conflict with Palestine but what [Hamas] has done to me – and the whole country – is take my soul and break it.
The young man had a message for Hamas: “You are not human beings. You are animals who don’t deserve to be in this world. They have crossed the line from being human [to animals].
“How can you take a baby from their mom and destroy families? They came into our home and did whatever they wanted to do. They raped ladies. I don’t think they deserve to be in this world.”
