The Israeli Consulate in New York City held a screening of the footage of the October 7 terror attack on Thursday evening – one of 75 screenings held so far to demonstrate the brutality of the attack. The display comes amid calls from anti-Israel critics for “proof” that innocent civilians have been murdered and raped by Hamas.
Gal Gadot, the Wonder Woman actress, held a screening of the film in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, leading to wild fights outside the venue, the Museum of Tolerance.
The Israeli actress was not at the screening, but several people were arrested after brawls outside between pro-Palestine and pro-Israel factions.
The film was shown in an attempt to counter skepticism expressed by some, who claimed the October 7 attack was “fake news” and defended Hamas as “freedom fighters.”
On November 4, Jewish rapper Kosha Dillz joined a pro-Palestinian march in Washington DC and asked people to describe the war between Israel and Hamas, with the video he made leaving Dillz’s followers in despair at the ignorance he brought to light.
The 45-minute film is composed of footage from dash cameras, body cameras and cellphones of Hamas fighters, and surveillance cameras from highways and kibbutzim that were hit. There was also footage of aid workers discovering the atrocities, and some audio recordings of telephone conversations between Hamas fighters and their families.
“Mom, I killed ten Jews with my bare hands. Your son is a hero,” someone exclaimed.
Hamas terrorists are seen attacking a music festival in Israel on October 7
Dramatic bodycam footage shows a terror group in khaki pants riding a motorcycle in a convoy on October 7
Hamas gunmen force a man into a car and taunt him during their terror campaign
Israeli festival-goers run for their lives through the desert after being warned of an impending rocket attack just as Hamas invaded the country on October 7
The terrorists rounded up people in Israel on October 7 and took them back to Gaza
The “movie” – as officials called it – opened with Hamas militants excitedly driving into Israel and picking up civilian motorists in their own vehicles after they stopped to stop. There were disturbing scenes from the Nova music festival, where the terrorists shot into portable toilets to ensure that anyone hiding was also killed.
Bodycam footage from an emergency worker shows dozens of festival bar employees lying dead.
‘Is there anyone alive there? Any sign of life?’ the paramedic asked.
The most grotesque moment was the scene of a delighted Hamas fighter attempting to behead a dead Jewish man with what appeared to be a garden spade or hoe.
‘It’s my first Jew! I want to film it,” he shouted in Arabic.
The burned bodies of small children – charred beyond recognition – were displayed, along with other adult corpses frozen in time by the ash and flames that killed them.
Dashcam footage shows Hamas militants attacking a nighttime music festival in southern Israel, shooting revelers at point-blank range and then looting their belongings.
A street in kibbutz Kfar Aza is seen on October 27 and 20, days after Hamas stormed the area
Children’s toys and personal items lie on the blood-stained floor of a child’s bedroom, following a deadly infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip in Kibbutz Beeri
The aftermath of an attack on the Supernova music festival by Palestinian militants
Others, including some young adult females, still had their legs spread open when first responders arrived.
In a particularly heartbreaking scene captured by surveillance cameras in a house in Netiv Hasava, a father is seen running to an outdoor closet with his two young sons, all in their underwear after being awakened by the sound of gunshots.
A Hamas fighter sneaks up on them and throws a grenade into the corner where they are sheltering.
Then the father is murdered and the boys, aged between 8 and 12, are marched back into the house.
As they scream and sob that their father is dead – “it’s not a joke… I think we’re dying” – the Hamas fighter who killed their father takes a bottle of Coca Cola from their refrigerator and takes a sip.
The images show the murders of 138 people from October 7, barely a tenth of the 1,400 who died.
Some images were too graphic to even be included in the montage shown to the press, according to consular officials who organized the briefing.
Personal belongings lie among the rubble of a house destroyed during the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants on Kibbutz Kfar Aza in southern Israel, near the Gaza Strip, on Oct. 18.
But what was shown, they said, was crucial in supporting the truth in international reporting on the attacks, and helps explain Israel’s strong military response.
“After September 11, no one told the US to restrain itself,” said Aviv Ezra, acting consul general of New York.
‘We will not hold back. There must be moral clarity.’
Nowhere in the images is there any mention of the freedom of Palestine or Gaza.
The only comments from Hamas fighters are ‘Allahu akbar’ and chanting.
They sang while standing on the necks of dead Israeli soldiers and holding up the hair of Israeli hostage Shani Louk.
IDF Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Conricus, who joined the briefing from Tel Aviv via Zoom, said there are now about 200,000 civilians left in Gaza. Between 850,000 and 900,000 have already fled, he said.
‘We are happy with that. We know for sure that Hamas is not,” he said.
Conricus could not give an exact figure on how many Hamas fighters are still in Gaza.
A typical battalion has between 90 and 200 fighters, all of whom are now hiding underground.
An Israeli soldier walks towards the remains of a burned house, after a deadly infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Kibbutz Beeri
Troops remove the bodies of victims killed during an attack by Hamas terrorists in Kfar Aza
Hamas has left a trail of destruction at a series of kibbutzim near the Gaza border, including children’s beds soaked in blood
An Israeli soldier breaks down in tears at the sight of a family dining table still covered in Challah bread from Friday’s Kiddush at Kibbutz Kfar Aza
On Thursday evening, 130 of the tunnels used by Hamas were uncovered. They remain supported by the Islamic militia groups Houthi in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Aside from a handful of propaganda released by Hamas, officials still have no solid information on the health of the 239 hostages.
“We have some that we can’t share, but for the most part it’s a black hole. We know that some are divided into groups, but we don’t know how. All we know is that they’re underground,” Ezra said.
The officials lamented the fact that while the world is calling for a humanitarian pause for Gazans, no aid has been provided to the hostages.
‘Humanitarian aid is a two-way street. Everyone is calling for humanitarian aid to Gaza, but we don’t have even the most basic information about our hostages. Why can’t the Red Cross be allowed in to ensure they are fed and have access to medicine?’ Itay Milner, spokesman for the Israeli consulate, said.
Officials do not plan to make the video public to protect the victims’ families.
Their hope, however, is to show it to enough international journalists to dismiss the misinformation that it is fake and explain the ongoing military campaign.
President Biden has not seen the images. The highest-ranking US official to have reviewed it is Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.