We danced with joy then hid among the dead – Nova survivors recall Hamas massacre

Warning: This video includes distressing content

A new documentary from BBC Storyville provides a harrowing glimpse into the Hamas attack on partygoers at the Nova music festival in Israel, in which hundreds of people were killed on October 7, 2023.

Using testimony of survivors, mobile phone footage, and footage from Hamas, the film shows how a dance festival turned to confusion then fear and chaos when Hamas arrived and began to kill partygoers.

Around 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 others were taken hostage on October 7, when Hamas gunmen crossed the border from Gaza, attacking dozens of sites and killing indiscriminately.

Since then, more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israeli military action in Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry says.

Storyville: We Will Dance Again can be seen in the UK from Thursday 26 September on BBC Two and iPlayer, from 09:00. The film forms part of a group of programmes on BBC Two and BBC Four, and on iPlayer, marking one year on from 7 October and the war between Israel and Hamas. Another BBC Storyville, Life and Death in Gaza, will be broadcast in October.