Bloodstains, rubble show human toll of Hamas attack on Kibbutz Be'eri

Weeks after Hamas militants descended on Be’eri, killing scores of people, traces of the deadly attack remain visible in the kibbutz, or community, in southern Israel.

In JP Soriano’s “24 Oras” report Thursday, bloodstains, rubble, and burned houses show the widespread destruction of the incident that ended the lives of more than 100 victims, including two Filipinos.

“Si Paul nga tsaka si Ate Grace pinatay tsaka apat ang patay na. Wala silang pinipili. ‘Yung ibang mga lahi nga na Thailander pinagpapatay wala namang atraso yun sa kanila [They killed Paul and Grace and other four individuals. They weren't choosy about it. Even other foreign nationals like Thais, whom they had no grievances against, were killed],” said survivor Joey Pagsolingan, referring to Paul Vincent Castelvi and Grace Prodigo Cabrera, two of the four Filipinos who have been confirmed dead in the conflict.

The other two are Loreta Alacre and Angeline Aguirre.

The attack on Be'eri was part of a series of attacks on Israel by the militant Palestinian nationalist group Hamas on October 7, in which at least 1,400 were killed and more than 220 were taken hostage. 

In the kibbutz of Re'im, militants attacked the SuperNova Music Festival, killing about 260 attendees and taking scores hostage. Tents, chairs, and people's belongings still lie scattered on the campground. Alacre is believed to have been killed at the festival.

GMA Integrated News was the only media outfit from Asia allowed to visit the open field. The area remains under military watch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), with tanks and soldiers deployed there.

“Just last week we captured a terrorist that was hiding here in the bushes and we apprehended him, which means for a lot of people here this place is still unsafe,” an IDF officer said.

Gaza bombardment, blockade

In response to the Hamas attack, Israel has launched massive air strikes against the narrow enclave of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians. Gaza is both controlled by Hamas and under Israeli military occupation and blockade.

Furthermore, Israel has laid total siege on the densely populated territory, barring the entry of aid including food, water, medicines and fuel—a move banned by international law, according to the UN's human rights chief.

Israel has also told Palestinians in northern Gaza to seek refuge in the south, only to bomb those areas later.

On Tuesday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced concern about "clear violations of international humanitarian law" in the Gaza Strip.

"It is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation," he said.

Guterres condemned both the Hamas attacks and Israel's bombardment of Palestinians.

"[T]he grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas. And those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people," he said.

1 Pinoy unaccounted for

Meanwhile, a Reuters report earlier said the Israeli government has confirmed that two Filipinos were among the estimated 220 hostages currently held by Hamas.

The Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv said it has yet to receive official confirmation.

Among the photos of those abducted by Hamas presented during a press conference of the Israeli Foreign Ministry was that of a missing Filipino identified as Jimmy Gelienor Pacheco.

Clarice, Pacheco’s wife earlier said she saw in the videos circulating on social media that her husband was one of those abducted by Hamas members.

“Yes, we do know that there are foreign nationals that were abducted. In fact, there are videos of foreign nationals being taken,” said Israel Foreign Ministry official Hillel Newman.

“I don’t know if Filipino exactly but we have to check, I think that there are,” said Newman.

Apart from Pacheco, one other Filipino is still unaccounted for. — Sundy Locus/BM, GMA Integrated News