Re'im music festival massacre — massacre of Israeli civilians at a dance party near Re'im, Israel on 7 October 2023
The Supernova festival massacre was the deadliest terror attack in Israel's history, killing 378 people at an open-air music event on 7 October 2023.
Key Facts
- Total killed at festival
- 378 (344 civilians, 34 security personnel)
- Hostages taken
- 44 people
- Attackers killed
- ~20 militants
- Attack began
- ~6:30 a.m., 7 October 2023
- Last hostage released
- 13 October 2025
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
On 7 October 2023, Hamas's military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, launched a large-scale surprise attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip during the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret. The Supernova Sukkot Gathering, an open-air music festival near kibbutz Re'im, was among the first sites struck as rockets were sighted at approximately 6:30 a.m. and sirens sounded around 7:00 a.m.
Armed militants dressed in military attire arrived by motorcycle, truck, and powered paraglider and opened indiscriminate fire on thousands of festivalgoers attempting to flee. Attendees who sought shelter in bomb shelters, bushes, and orchards were hunted and killed; those who reached the road were trapped in traffic jams as gunmen fired into vehicles. Some wounded were executed at point-blank range. The assault killed 378 people and resulted in 44 hostages being taken, with widespread reports of sexual and gender-based violence.
The massacre became the largest single terror attack in Israeli history and the worst civilian massacre ever recorded in Israel. It formed the deadliest component of the broader 7 October attacks on communities near the Gaza Strip. The last living hostage from the festival was released on 13 October 2025, and the final hostage's remains were returned two days later, marking the end of a prolonged hostage crisis stemming directly from the attack.