Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) is launching a digital library of English-language video testimonies from soldiers, former hostages, bereaved families and others who experienced the Oct. 7 attacks and their aftermath, the organization said.
The archive, being launched ahead of the third anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks, is intended to make firsthand accounts accessible to FIDF donors and other supporters of Israel in the United States, including members of Jewish and Christian communities.
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Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) is launching a digital library of English-language video testimonies from soldiers, former hostages, bereaved families and others who experienced the Oct. 7 attacks and their aftermath
(Photo: FIDF)
The library will initially include more than 50 filmed testimonies totaling over 12 hours of footage collected by FIDF. The organization said the archive will continue to expand as additional testimonies are recorded and added.
The project brings together accounts from IDF soldiers, lone soldiers, reservists, bereaved relatives, former hostages, community leaders and experts. The videos are divided into categories, allowing viewers to explore the events of Oct. 7 and the period that followed from different perspectives.
Among those featured are Moshe and Shira Shapira, the parents of Staff Sgt. Aner Shapira, who was killed during the attack; Rabbi Doron Perez, father of Capt. Daniel Perez, who was killed and whose body was taken to Gaza; and Col. Elad Edri, who recounts the attack on the IDF's Zikim base.
The archive also features Izzy Ezagui, an IDF veteran who lost an arm after being wounded during his military service and later returned to serve in the reserves.
Testimonies from former hostages include Noa Argamani, Amit Soussana, Maya Regev, Almog Meir Jan, Edan Alexander and Maxim Harkin.
Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) is launching a digital library of English-language video testimonies from soldiers, former hostages, bereaved families and others who experienced the Oct. 7 attacks and their aftermath
(Photo: FIDF)
FIDF said the initiative is intended both to preserve firsthand accounts for future generations and to give supporters abroad direct access to the people behind the events. The organization said the archive seeks to document stories of courage and resilience while helping communities outside Israel understand the personal experiences of those affected by the attacks and the war that followed.
"Since October 7, we have been moved by the surge of supporters across Jewish and Christian communities in the United States who want to understand more closely what happened in Israel on that devastating day and the days that followed and hear directly from the people who experienced it," said Maj. Gen. (res.) Nadav Padan, CEO of FIDF.
"Three years later, it is important not only to preserve these testimonies, but also to make them accessible in English to the communities that support Israel and IDF soldiers," Padan said. "This library allows them to hear firsthand from soldiers, hostage survivors and families, and to learn the personal stories behind October 7."