Israeli music festival: Londoner's son fled militant attack

Elliot Sorene (right) said his son Ariel ran about 12 miles (20km) to escape the Palestinian militants

A surgeon from north-west London has said his son is "happy to be alive" after he fled a concert in southern Israel which was targeted by Palestinian militants.

Elliot Sorene, who lives in Mill Hill, told BBC London his son Ariel witnessed people being killed and kidnapped.

More than 260 bodies have been found at the Supernova festival site.

Mr Sorene said Ariel was not physically injured but one of his friends was killed and two more were hurt.

"He is happy to be alive but he's upset about what he saw and feels for those who have been killed, and taken hostage," he said.

Mr Sorene said Ariel, 22, was at a trance party when they heard "rockets land nearby".

He said his son and his friends "saw terrorists with automatic weapons start to kill all of the security guards and indiscriminately shoot at the partygoers".

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Mr Sorene said Ariel, who has dual Israeli-British citizenship, managed to run to his Renault Clio but the militants then began firing on his vehicle.

Ariel and some of his friends managed to escape through a field and ran about 12 miles (20km) to a nearby community to find safety.

The Israeli military suggests dozens of people, among them foreign nationals, have been taken as captives from the festival as well as from border towns and villages into Gaza.

Noam Sagi had been expecting his mother in London next week for her 75th birthday

Noam Sagi said his 74-year-old mother Ada Sagi was among those believed to have been kidnapped by the militant group Hamas.

Mr Sagi, who is based in London, told BBC Radio 4: "It feels unreal… it feels inhumane… it is very upsetting to think that this is even possible."

'It's apocalyptic'

The Israeli government has announced a complete siege of Gaza, cutting off food, medicine and power.

The country's armed forces are also carrying out a large-scale bombing campaign which has already killed about 500 people.

Palestinian academic Dr Atef Alshaer said the scenes in Gaza were "apocalyptic"

Dr Atef Alshaer, an academic at the University of Westminster who grew up in Gazan town of Rafah, said he was worried about his family who still live there.

"What is sad is to see harm done to the innocent and that is constant," he said.

He added: "It's apocalyptic. I don't really exaggerate because you've got it in a really densely populated area and the bombing is really intense.

"They're very decent people, they don't deserve this."

The graffiti was written on a bridge in Golders Green, north-west London

In London, police have launched an investigation after pro-Palestinian graffiti was daubed on bridges in Golders Green.

British Transport Police (BTP) said officers were called to the site, near Golders Green Underground station, at about 08:45 BST.

Golders Green has a prominent Jewish population.

BTP said the graffiti was being investigated as a potential hate crime.

A kosher restaurant in Golders Green also had its window smashed and cash register stolen, but this is not being treated as a hate crime, the Met Police said.

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