A volunteer in Israel says the Gaza region looks like the set of a horror movie now, with ‘burnt-out cars’ and ‘bodies strewn all across the road’

The rubble of destroyed buildings and mosque after an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on October 9.Sameh Rahmi/NurPhoto via Getty Images

A volunteer working to recover the bodies of civilians killed in Israel says the conflict following Hamas’ attacks has transformed the region around Gaza into a scene of continuous horror.

“Just driving down from my home in Jerusalem to that area, it is like walking into a horror movie,” Josh Wander, a volunteer with ZAKA, a rescue and recovery organization in Israel, told the Daily Beast in a story published Monday.

“You’re looking out on both sides of the road and you’re seeing burnt-out cars flipped over on the side of the road, many of them riddled with bullets, bodies strewn all across the road,” Wander added. “You’re literally driving around bodies as you’re driving down the main roads there.”

Wander told the Daily Beast that he thinks of the Hamas attacks as “the Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 of Israel all wrapped in one.” And recovering the bodies — especially those of children — has been difficult, even for “hardened, seasoned volunteers,” Wander added.

Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Saturday, firing thousands of rockets from Gaza. The Palestinian militant group also fired at civilians attending the Tribe of Nova Music Festival happening a few miles from the border. At least 260 bodies have been recovered from the music festival attack.

CNN’s chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward, reporting from the ground in Israel, also came across several bodies when driving through the area, including those of dead Hamas militants. Ward said that many festival attendees were still missing after being taken hostage by fighters from Hamas.

“Many of them are still missing. Many of them are dead. It’s been very difficult to try and get a precise number,” Ward said in her report.

On Sunday, Israel declared a “state of war,” with officials saying their goal was to eliminate Hamas and take complete control of Gaza.

Civilian deaths and injuries have been reported on both sides. Israeli authorities said that the conflict has claimed the lives of more than 900 Israelis. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least 687 people in Gaza have been killed, with thousands more injured.

On Monday, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he’d ordered a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip. This means some 2.2 million people inside the blockaded area will have no outside access to electricity, food, or fuel.

A representative for ZAKA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours.

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