Route 232, which is one of main highways connecting the towns of Sderot, Ashkelon and Re’im, is now the new boundary between territory controlled by Israel and Hamas. Route 232 is also a stark reminder of the Hamas-led terrorist attack which has led to the loss of 1,200 lives in Israel, with numbers expected to rise.
A report by the Times of Israel said the artery road once connecting communities throughout the western Negev, cutting through agricultural fields and desert river beds, while running parallel to the Gaza Strip, has now transformed into ‘Road of Death’.
Kibbutz Re’im lies off Road 232 and was witness to the broad daylight massacre of 260 festival goers who were butchered by Hamas. The Times of Israel in its report said that near Besor Stream dozens of cars were parked in rows, some of them still containing unretrievable charred bodies of young festival-goers who were shot and burned alive.
They also reported that this area of Israel, which was rural in nature, showed signs of war and torture. They said that they spotted a white Toyota pick-up truck, similar to the ones seen in Islamic State’s propaganda videos, which Hamas terrorists brought, with a large, metal gas canister sitting in a metal box in the truck’s bed.
This was an unexploded homemade bomb which could have caused serious damage had it gone off. The terrorists also brought urine collection apparati to allow them to relieve themselves so that they did not have to leave hiding spots. They also bought backpacks, filled with changes of clothes and shoes, which indicates they were ready for a long assault.
The car also had another horrifying item, the report said. There was a plastic bag filled with car and house keys sitting on the back seat which were likely to be displayed as proof as well as spoils of war to the senior commanders of Hamas.
The road was also littered with bodies of terrorists. In front of an army checkpoint, there were two boots with dried, purple blood patches beside them, indicating the fate of the terrorists whose ambush plan had failed.
In Kibbutz Be’eri, signs of massacre lay bare. Israeli news media reports claim that at least 10% of the community were murdered.