Some 150 clergymen including Muslims, Christians, Druze and Jews, attended a screening of the video footage from Hamas’ attack on October 7 gathered by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. "It’s Inhuman. People don't behave like this. It's horrific. These are brutal actions that contradict Islam," were just some of their remarks following the viewing at an event initiated by the Prime Minister's Office.
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The clergymen arrived at a military base after touring southern Israeli communities two weeks ago, where the film was shown to them as part of Israel’s attempts to expose Hamas’ atrocities. The screening was initiated by the Interior Ministry, in collaboration with the IDF Spokesperson's Unit.
"Since the outbreak of the war, we have been engaged in activities to promote tolerance and calm among all religions and communities, with an emphasis on the Arab society," Eiad Sarhan, head of the ministry’s Religious Communities Department said.
During the screening, crying could be heard from the hall. Some of the religious leaders left the hall a few minutes after the screening began with red and teary eyes, unable to continue watching the horrors.
'I don't want to remember people being murdered'
Father Yousef Yaakob, the head of the Maronite Church in Haifa, left a few minutes into the start of the screening. "I left early; there was a scene where a grenade was thrown at a father and his two children, and the father died while the children just cried. It's impossible to accept this," he said. "I’m a father as well; I have children, and families shouldn't experience such things. It's evil, it’s wickedness. I have no words for it."
Was what you saw emotionally challenging?
"Very much so. These are real people who died; it's not a movie. I don't want to remember people being murdered in such a way. Doing something like this isn’t honorable for humanity. It's just unbelievable. These are people whose light has gone out."
Were you surprised by what you saw?
"No, I heard a lot, and tried to prepare myself for what I would see, but I know myself – the images will start coming back to me, and I really don't want that. What I saw was enough; I already believed in what happened there.
“I know there are people mourning their loved ones, and anyone who wants to say it didn't happen, unfortunately, is approving the next murder. We can’t ignore such things. If we don't take responsibility for such evil things, they’ll happen again."
'No religion can give you approval to do this'
Sheikh Younis Amasha, a Druze Imam from Ussfiya, left in the middle of the screening. After leaving, he struggled to speak and needed several minutes to calm himself.
Did you leave early?
"Yes, the truth is, seeing it for the second time was very difficult for me. No religion can give you approval to do the very horrible things we saw inside. I held on for a few good minutes, and after that I didn't feel well, so I decided to leave. We, representatives of people of faith from all backgrounds, have been sitting together in Israel for many years, thinking together about things that connect the faiths while respecting each other. Still, we never imagined we’d see something like this. It was tragic."
Some don't believe it happened and even deny it.
"There's nothing to deny; everything is true, and it's distressing for us to be in this situation. We need to protect each other so we won’t be harmed from the outside."
Why do you think people need to see this film at all?
"I think every person should see this footage, to see exactly what happened. And anyone who wants to deny what happened here should watch and see the truth with their own eyes."
'This is not the Islam I know'
Sheikh Khaleel Al-Baz, an imam from Tel Sheva, left the screening in tears. "I have no words to describe it. These aren’t my people, this is not the Islam I know, this is not the Islam I studied, and this is not the Islam I have been serving for almost 60 years.
What I saw was the horror that you see in movies, but it wasn't a movie; it was reality. People burning homes, beheading others, shooting dogs. Aren't we human? Have we lost our humanity? I don't know. I’m crying; I can't watch this. I can't understand how a person can do such a thing to another person. We have lost our humanity. This can’t go on."
What shocked you the most in the footage?
"Everything. Shooting dogs is horrifying, beheading a person who’s already dead is horrifying. These are not the teachings of our Prophet, not my Islam. The Prophet Muhammad, who sent people to fight in wars, told them: 'My people, do not kill little children, or women, or the elderly, and don’t burn down a tree.' What I saw here can only be compared to things that happened in World War II. If we as human beings are capable of doing such a thing, then we have lost our humanity."
After watching the footage, do you feel this film is important?
"It’s very important, but I don't know if I'll be able to sleep in the next two weeks and digest what I saw here. It goes beyond my ability to describe to you what I saw; it was beyond suffering."
Will you convey this message to others?
"Absolutely, just as I conveyed it to my community when I visited Auschwitz and there was someone who denied the Holocaust. I passed on the message. May God help me convey what I saw today in a fitting manner.
“A way to describe what happened, and what I saw. People said that the Holocaust didn't happen, so I came and lectured about it in my mosque and in other places. Here too, I will tell them, 'They didn’t just tell me it happened, I watched it, and I cried.'"
Rabbi calls massacre a 'death camp'
Rabbi Moshe Pinto said following the screening: "Clergymen aren’t exposed to the media. They know about what’s told to them. Even though we toured Kfar Aza and saw what happened, what we saw now in this film was simply a cry coming from deep within.”
“This is not a war, or a struggle, or an atrocity, it's a death camp. The screams of the dead and burnt, those who suffocated, cries coming from the hearts of small children, infants, mothers, women, and men. This is a cry that needs to echo throughout the whole world."