The Israeli consulate in New York City held a screening of footage from the Oct. 7 terrorist attack Thursday evening, one of 75 screenings so far to demonstrate the brutality of the attack. The screening comes amid calls from anti-Israel critics for “evidence” that innocent civilians were murdered and raped by Hamas.
Gal Gadot, the Wonder Woman actress, screened the film in Los Angeles on Wednesday night – sparking wild fights outside the venue, the Museum of Tolerance.
The Israeli actress was not at the screening, but several people were arrested following scuffles outside between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel factions.
No photos or videos were allowed or distributed at the screening, which attended. Around 20 journalists were present.
The film was shown to counter skepticism from 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-Palestine march in Washington DC and asked people to describe the Israel-Hamas war. The video he shot left Dillz’s followers in despair at the ignorance he exposed.
In London, a British group asked pro-Palestinian protesters what they thought of Hamas’ invasion of Israel.
“I don’t think they did it, did you?” said a woman.
Asked whether Britain had made the wrong decision to declare Hamas a banned terrorist organization, another woman replied: “Of course.” It is not Hamas that is terrorist. America is the terrorist. “Israel are terrorists, not Hamas.”
Hamas terrorists are seen attacking a music festival in Israel on October 7
Dramatic bodycam footage shows a terrorist group in khakis traveling in a convoy on motorcycles on October 7th
During their campaign of terror, armed Hamas fighters force a man into a car and taunt him
Israeli festival-goers run for their lives across 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 and brought them back to Gaza on October 7th
The 45-minute film was compiled from footage from dashboard cameras, body cameras and cellphones of Hamas militants, as well as surveillance cameras from highways and kibbutzes under attack. There was also footage of first responders discovering the atrocities, as well as 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,” one proclaimed.
The “movie” – as officials called it – began 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.
Dozens of festival bar workers can be seen lying dead in bodycam footage from a first responder.
“Is there anyone else alive out there? Any sign of life?’ the paramedic asked.
The most grotesque moment was the scene in which an enthusiastic Hamas fighter attempted to behead a dead Jewish man with what looked like a garden spade or hoe.
“It’s my first Jew!” “I want to videotape it,” he shouted in Arabic.
The burned bodies of young children – charred beyond recognition – were shown, along with other adult corpses frozen in time by the ash and flames that killed them.
Dashcam footage showed Hamas militants attacking a nighttime music festival in southern Israel, shooting revelers at close range and then looting their belongings
A street in Kibbutz Kfar Aza is seen on October 27, 20 days after Hamas stormed the area
Children’s toys and personal belongings lie on the blood-stained floor of a child’s room after a deadly infiltration by armed Hamas fighters from the Gaza Strip at Kibbutz Beeri
The aftermath of an attack by Palestinian militants on the Supernova music festival
Others, including some young adult women, still had their legs spread when first responders reached them.
In a particularly heartbreaking scene captured by home surveillance cameras at a home in Netiv Hasava, a father is seen running to an outdoor closet with his two young sons, all three in their underpants, after being awakened by the sound of gunfire became.
A Hamas fighter sneaks up on them and throws a grenade into the corner where they seek shelter.
The father is then killed and the boys – between the ages of 8 and 12 – are returned to the home.
As they scream and sob that their father is dead – “this isn’t a prank… I think we could die” – the Hamas fighter who killed their father grabs a bottle of Coca Cola from their fridge and takes a sip.
The footage shows the murder of 138 people on October 7, barely a tenth of the 1,400 killed.
Some of the footage was too graphic to even be included in the edit shown to the press, according to consular officials who moderated the briefing.
Personal belongings lie in the rubble of a house destroyed in an October 18 attack by Hamas militants on Kibbutz Kfar Aza in southern Israel, near the Gaza Strip
But what was shown, they said, was crucial to maintaining truth in international reporting on the attacks and helped explain Israel’s comprehensive military response.
“After 9/11, no one told the United States to stand back,” said Aviv Ezra, acting consul general of New York.
“We will not hold back. There must be moral clarity.”
Nowhere in the footage is the freedom of Palestine or Gaza mentioned.
The only utterances from Hamas fighters are “Allahu akbar” and chants.
They sang while standing on the necks of dead Israeli soldiers and while holding up the hair of Israeli hostage Shani Louk.
IDF Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Conricus, who attended the press conference via Zoom from Tel Aviv, said that around 200,000 civilians are currently still in Gaza. Between 850,000 and 900,000 have already fled, he said.
“We are satisfied with that.” “We are sure that Hamas is not,” he said.
Conricus was unable to give an exact number of how many Hamas fighters are still in the Gaza Strip.
A typical battalion has between 90 and 200 fighters, all of whom are now hiding underground.
An Israeli soldier walks toward the remains of a burned house in Kibbutz Beeri following a deadly infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip
Troops remove the bodies of victims killed in an attack by Hamas terrorists in Kfar Aza
Hamas left a trail of destruction, including blood-soaked children’s beds, in a number of kibbutzes near the Gaza border
An Israeli soldier bursts into tears when he sees a family dining table still covered with challah bread from Friday Kiddush at Kibbutz Kfar Aza
As of Thursday evening, 130 of the tunnels used by Hamas had been uncovered. They continue to be supported by the Islamic militias Houthi in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Aside from a handful of propaganda released by Hamas, officials still have no concrete information about the health status of the 239 hostages held.
“We have some that we can’t divide, but it’s mostly a black hole.” We know some have been 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 the people of Gaza, no assistance has been provided to the hostages.
“Humanitarian aid is a two-way street. Everyone is calling for humanitarian aid for 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?” said Itay Milner, spokesman for the Israeli consulate.
Officials do not plan to release the video to the public to protect the victims’ families.
However, their hope 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 footage. The highest-ranking US official to see it is Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.