E select group of prominent media executives, journalists, and editors from leading international news organizations gathered to view a screening of footage showcasing the October 7 atrocities committed by Hamas against Israeli civilians. The event marked the first time this footage has been shown outside of Israel and offered a sobering look at the brutal actions of the terrorist organization.
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The 43-minute video, expertly compiled by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), drew from a range of sources, including footage from body cameras worn by Hamas terrorists and content from security cameras and social media accounts. The distressing scenes depicted in the video provided a grim insight into the scale and brutality of Hamas's actions, which included the murder, torture, and decapitation of numerous civilians, spanning from young children to the elderly.
Accompanying the screening, IDF Major-General Mickey Edelstein, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, and Acting Consul General of Israel in New York, Aviv Ezra, offered briefings to the attendees, further shedding light on the gravity of the situation.
"There are no words to explain. It is to witness the darkest evil that can exist. Hamas terrorists laugh and call home to boast how many Jews they killed “with their hands.” Asking if their parents are proud? Humans bloodied, charred, ripped apart. But it is the cries of the children that I will hear forever. I share this with you because the world needs to know what happened. And so that you can imagine it, because I hope you never have to see it," Fox anchor Martha MacCallum said in a post.
In an effort to ensure the utmost security and privacy, the IDF spokesperson unit brought a special top-secured computer specifically for the screening. Attendees were required to leave their phones and electronic devices outside the screening room, emphasizing the sensitivity and confidentiality of the content.
Acting Consul General Aviv Ezra expressed the significance of the event, stating, "The fact that leading media figures across the ideological spectrum elected to join us today and see what happened with their own eyes demonstrates their commitment to showing the world the truth about the evils of Hamas. We know this content is difficult to watch, which is why we chose not to release it publicly. But appallingly, we are already seeing people denying that these unspeakable atrocities even occurred. We believe it is important for leaders in the media world to know the truth – and that they have a responsibility to defend it. That is why we held this event."
The screening was a collaborative effort between Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, and the Israeli consulate in New York. It brought together around twenty individuals, including reporters, presenters, and senior editors from major international media outlets. The video contained graphic content that was, understandably, hard to watch.
Among those in attendance were representatives from media giants such as FOX NEWS, CNN, The New York Times, and NBC, underscoring the gravity of the matter and its significance in the eyes of the media world.
Ambassador Gilad Erdan used the occasion to emphasize the importance of exposing Hamas's actions to the world, asserting, "We will continue to present the atrocities committed by Hamas against innocent civilians, to demonstrate to the world that we are dealing with a jihadist terrorist organization committed to the destruction of Israel. The horrors and murderous lust in the video illustrate this in the strongest way. The screening of the atrocities illustrates to the media why the IDF is obligated to continue the operation until Hamas and its terrorist infrastructure are crushed, and until the abductees are returned. If we don't do this, there is no doubt that such a massacre will happen again. And not only in Israel."