NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) —Among countless families around the world who were left in distress, Orly Someck from Long Island, waits for news of her 25-year-old cousin, who is believed to have either been killed or kidnapped by Hamas when the terror group attacked a music festival near the Israel-Gaza border.
"She went with friends and they were all celebrating," Someck told WCBS 880's Sophia Hall. "And then, the party ended and they're just unknown."
The Nova Festival was among several sites targeted on Saturday morning in an unprecedented, coordinated attack by Hamas within Israel.
Israeli rescue service ZAKA reported the discovery of at least 260 bodies at the festival grounds. Numerous attendees were held captive, as depicted in social media footage showing them in the clutches of Hamas militants.
A picture taken on October 10, 2023 shows the abandoned site of the weekend attack of the Supernova desert music Festival by Hamas near Kibbutz Reim in the Negev desert in southern Israel. JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images
Nassau resident Someck anxiously waits for word on her cousin, Leah Turjman.
Leah, who works in Tel Aviv, attended the music festival with three other friends.
"We're just waiting to hear something," Someck said. "I guess one way or the other whether she is identified as one of the victims or if she's identified as one of the hostages."
Someck moved to the US when she was a little girl. While she lives in Nassau County, most of her relatives, including Leah, live in Israel.
"Think about the thousands of people that are at these festivals. They are all young... and it's depressing. It's depressing that they have no lives to look forward to anymore," Someck said.
An Israeli solider stands at the grounds of the Supernova electronic music festival after Saturday's deadly attack by Islamist Hamas militants where 260 people died and more than 100 people were taken hostage, according to the ZAKA rescue agency.Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance via Getty Images
Families like Someck's continue to hope for the safe return of their loved ones.
