At NYC screening, Israel makes case with graphic video of Hamas beheadings, burned bodies
A tile floor is drenched with a thick trail of blood. The camera follows the trail, which seems endless until it reaches a child's empty bedroom.
Hamas terrorists shoot rounds of bullets into bodies that are already lifeless; they parade around an unconscious hostage in Gaza; they kick the head of a dead person. They burn people alive in their cars.
Bodies have been incinerated and mutilated to such a degree that when rescuers arrive, they lament that the dead cannot be identified.
The invaders take turns wielding a garden hoe to decapitate a man who appears to already be dead. They swing the tool down repeatedly.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
An audience of about 30 journalists gathered at the Israel Consulate in New York City on Thursday for a private screening of graphic video of the Hamas attack on Israel, a compilation titled "Bearing Witness to the October 7 Massacre."
The roughly 45-minute film was compiled from hours of footage retrieved primarily from the body cameras and cellphones from Hamas attackers who were aiming to document their own assault. Some of it was posted to social media or taken by civilians as they tried to escape. Some came from first responders, dashcams, traffic cameras, closed-circuit TV.
About 1,400 Israelis were killed, 240 were taken hostage, and scores more were wounded on a day when nearly 3,000 attackers from Hamas, which the United States has labeled a terrorist group, infiltrated Israel's border and attacked its citizens. The invasion has spurred a monthlong siege and counterattack by Israel that has left more than 10,000 dead in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
As the audience in New York watched the footage, which has been screened recently by world leaders, diplomats and journalists, the mood was downcast. Some cried or groaned. At least one left the room midway through.
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Embassy officials said they wanted to show the film to select audiences who would bear witness to what happened that day, adding that some people are attempting to downplay or dispute what actually occurred.
"We are showing this film now because we wanted to show the nature of the atrocities," Itay Milner, a spokesperson for the Israeli consulate, said on Thursday. "This was not about religion or a two-state solution. This was pure evil. They are war criminals. On Oct. 7, their first goal was to kill. They enjoyed the process. They shared it. They wanted to kill the spirit of Israelis. "
The screening depicting the savagery of the attack also comes as Israel faces criticism for the growing death toll in Gaza.
Video, photos and eyewitness descriptions of the unrelenting counterattack there have also played on screens and in news reports for weeks, showing destruction and death among Palestinians.
At the screening, the film showed the aftermath of Hamas' massacre at the Nova music festival in southern Israel. When a first responder arrives, he approaches a stage covered in bodies. He walks to the bar, where the floor is covered with more corpses and pools of blood.
He calls out in Hebrew. "Is anyone alive?" He walks through more bodies. There is only silence.
Then with more desperation, he calls again. "Anyone please. Can anyone answer?"
At another point in the film, heavily armed Hamas fighters ride on trucks and motorcycles through a fence. They shoot motorists in their cars through their windows and pull others from their cars to execute them.
They are seen raiding Be'eri, a kibbutz in southern Israel, which is filled with palm trees and greenery and cozy homes.
A small dog ambles out to greet them. The attackers shoot it three times. Bang, bang, bang. The dog falls dead quickly.
The attackers shoot into the little homes. They toss grenades. They set the decorations on fire.
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We see video of a father and his two sons, waking up in their underwear. They hear the shooting and run to a safe room in their home. A Hamas attacker throws a grenade into their room, killing the father instantly. The boys can be seen crying about their father's death. One boy says he lost his eyesight in the blast.
"Why am I alive?" the boy cries out. When their mother returns to the scene, she collapses in grief.
The glee of the Hamas fighters in some of these moments is the most chilling part of the film.
The film includes audio of one of them calling his parents.
His voice is proud as he tells them he's speaking on the phone of a Jew he murdered.
"I killed 10 people with my bare hands," he says. "Open WhatsApp to see how I killed them.
"Their blood is on my hands," he says. "I killed many. Your son is a hero!"
Deena Yellin covers religion for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to her work covering how the spiritual intersects with our daily lives, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: yellin@northjersey.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Israel shows video of graphic Hamas war atrocities at NY screening
