Editor's Note: This article contains graphic descriptions of the atrocities that Hamas terrorists committed against civilians and IDF soldiers in Israel. It has since been updated to include a statement from Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE).
On October 7, Hamas terrorists perpetrated a terrorist attack against Israel which resulted in the death of 1,200 Israelis, most of them civilians. It was the bloodiest day in Israel's history, with the most Jews killed in a single day since the Holocaust. Hamas indiscriminately targeted men, women, and children alike, not even sparing babies or Holocaust survivors. Civilians were also tortured, raped, and kidnapped. The dead bodies of civilians and Israeli soldiers were desecrated and paraded through the streets.
Townhall has covered the shocking reports from journalists who have been privy to screenings of Hamas' atrocities. On November 13, Townhall attended one such screening put on by the Israeli embassy and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ). The 43-minutes of footage included material taken from Hamas terrorists' body cams, their cell phones, dash cams, and social media accounts, as well as cell phone and social media footage from victims, home cameras, intercepted audio, and footage from first responders.
The footage showed the trek terrorists made as they gunned down the passengers of any cars that crossed their paths, often setting vehicles on fire. While the victims may have been unrecognizable, the look on their faces as they died could still be seen, charred in place.
The heart-wrenching footage not only showed the bodies of victims shot and killed by Hamas or those whose bodies were burned alive but included images of victims, many of which included children and babies.
Footage also showed two boys who witnessed their father being killed by a grenade as they tried to rush to safety at a kibbutz, only to be pulled out by Hamas terrorists. One of them could not see out of one of his eyes, his brother confirmed. As the boys cried, a terrorist rifled through their refrigerator.
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Intercepted audio could be heard of one Hamas terrorist calling up his father to celebrate how he had killed ten Jews with his "bare hands," as he also indicates "I'm talking to you from a Jewish woman's phone." The mother also came to the phone to celebrate their deaths as chants of "kill! kill! kill!" could be heard.
Translations provided at another point indicated the terrorists' obsession with documenting their atrocities. "Take a photo, take a photo," one terrorist insisted to another, even demanding at one point to "take a photo, you bast**d."
More intercepted clips showed a Hamas commander instructing one terrorist to cut off the head of an Israeli soldier and to hang his body.
The body of a beheaded soldier was seen at one point. More bodies were desecrated in other ways, as Hamas terrorists kicked at and/or stomped on them.
At one point, an ISIS flag could be seen. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has said that Hamas' attack is worse than ISIS, a certainly believable statement given the footage.
Clips from first responders were also shown, including for those first responders who arrived at the scene of the Nova Music Festival. A first responder, with emotion clearly in his voice, can be heard calling multiple times for anyone alive to show signs of life, though no one responded. He walks by some of the victims, acknowledging that they are dead, including a young woman and a female police officer.
Other scenes from the festival before the attack showed attendees celebrating before Hamas launched its massacre. Their joy from before was quickly contrasted with clips of clearly terrified young women sheltering in place as the attack began, the bodies of young people who attended the festival, and images of bloodied portable bathrooms that Hamas terrorists shot into indiscriminately.
Footage was also shown of Hamas taking people hostage, including those visibly injured and appearing in a state of shock. Translations indicate one terrorist urging another to "load them up" into a truck and making clear "we want captives."
As the days, weeks, and now even months go by since the attack, it has been key to keep in mind what it is that has been done to Israel, and what Israel is fighting against. Ever since the October 7 attack, the Israel X account has been posting clips and images to keep the memory alive of what Hamas terrorists did and those they killed or took hostage.
As troubling as the footage and images are to see, there is a purpose to them, with Eliav Benjamin, the Deputy Head of Mission to the Embassy of Israel speaking to it as "a must" in his remarks before the screening. "People have already forgotten, and some of them are even in denial of this ever taking place," he continued. He also pointed out that "it is a time of great sorrow but also a time of great determination."
Bishop Paul Lanier, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of IFCJ, gave a particularly powerful prayer as part of his remarks beforehand to prepare viewers for the footage of "unspeakable horror." As difficult as it may be to watch such footage, though, Bishop Lanier prayed "we choose, we believe, the precious men, women, and children who suffered and paid the price deserve us to linger, look, and listen," despite such footage containing "what no man, no woman should see" though viewers "step into this insanity for the sake of redemption."
When speaking with Townhall after the screening, Bishop Lanier spoke to the importance of "believing" such footage, especially as there are those who deny or reject it, "believing it and then declaring how heinous, inhumane, brutal, evil this is." Lanier was also adamant in the need for "staying away from the foolishness of this 'mutual equivalence' when it comes to the sins of Israel and others, stressing "there has been no equal for decades."
Townhall also spoke with Pastor Carlos Ortiz, the Church Director of the IFCJ, after the screening about the purpose of showing such footage. "This footage was shown so we can be witness of not only the atrocities and the heinous crimes that this terrorist organization, Hamas, perpetrated against Israel, but so we can also gather as much information possible, so we can go back and speak to our communities about the need, the urgent need for us to support Israel and the Jewish people."
Townhall attended the screening with approximately 100 other people. In addition to a handful of journalists, many present were pastors, including those from Hispanic, African-American, and Brazilian churches. Remarks before the screening given by Pastor Ortiz were in both English and Spanish.
When speaking with Townhall, Pastor Ortiz enthusiastically stressed that support for Israel does resonate with Hispanic communities. This is in part because of "the fact that the Hispanic people have suffered and can relate to the suffering in a way of the Jewish people" but it also "resonates biblically, because we love Israel because the Bible tells us so."
The emotion felt in being privy to the footage was not only apparent in watching the footage, but keeping in mind that those victims have names and family members. Some in attendance could be heard softly crying, murmuring in reaction, or praying aloud during the screening. As a message at the end of the video explained, though, this was less than 10 percent of footage that exists of the attack.
During his comments before the screening, Benjamin explained that recording devices were not allowed "because some of the families of these victims have not even seen this [footage]," as he acknowledged "it's too tough to watch."
On Tuesday, members of Congress viewed the footage, which House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) emphasized was "pure evil" and described it as containing "truly unfathomable brutality committed by the hands of Hamas terrorists against Israelis." She also pointed out that the video is "a stark reminder that Israel is currently fighting not only for their right to exist but for the rights of Jewish people everywhere."
These photos from Monday are outside of @SenatorRicketts’ office, where the importance of bringing home the hostages taken by Hamas has not been forgotten. In addition to a daily counter of how long people have been held captive for, it reads “#StandWithIsrael” at the bottom. pic.twitter.com/ptGW0UsU2C
— Rebecca Downs🇺🇸🟦🇮🇱 (@RebeccaRoseGold) November 14, 2023
Senate offices have also marked the importance of not forgetting the more than 200 hostages that Hamas took. This includes Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE), whose office has placed a poster outside its door, with the pictures of each one of them.
"Iran-Backed Hamas Terrorists Have Been Holding Civilians Hostage for 37 Days," the poster read on Monday evening, with that number changing each day. At the bottom reads "#STANDWITHISRAEL."
"Outside my DC office I have displayed a poster showing the innocent Israelis kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. Every day, I am sharing their stories on Twitter to call attention to Hamas’ evil barbarism," Ricketts told Townhall in a statement provided shortly after publication. "The poster and stories will continue until every single hostage is released and returned safely home. The world must know that America stands with Israel in its fight to free the hostages and to destroy Hamas."
Invite-only events are not the only ways in which Americans can speak to the importance of standing up for Israel and the Jewish people. Attendees were given a QR code on their way out so as to share updates from the Israeli embassy. Among the first posts on Tuesday afternoon was one with a call to sign a birthday card for Ohad, who is spending his 9th birthday being held hostage by Hamas.
This begins the start of my 🧵 about my trip to the Israeli embassy for a screening of just some of the footage of what Hamas perpetrated against Israel. The ~45 minutes was less than 10% of the footage. Afterwards, we took QR codes for the Israeli embassy, the first update being… pic.twitter.com/Zj3lt3teqV
— Rebecca Downs🇺🇸🟦🇮🇱 (@RebeccaRoseGold) November 14, 2023
Pastor Ortiz in his remarks to attendees before the screening and when speaking with Townhall after the screening, urged people to pray. He called to mind Psalm 102:13, "Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set time, is come. You will arise and have pity on Zion; it is the time to favor her; the appointed time has come."
"In such a time as this, there has never been such an important Bible verse as this one," Ortiz pointed out. "This is the time to have mercy on Zion."
Bishop Lanier too spoke to the importance of prayer, as well as taking action in other ways when it comes to speaking in support of Israel. "We are fighting an evil that comes in every arena, every avenue possible," Lanier shared. "Whether it is the media, it is education, it is politics, we have to be equally relentless in every approach."
When it comes to the importance of Christians standing up for Israel, Bishop Lanier pointed out "we share common enemies," who "despise us both equally." While he acknowledged the differences in Christianity and Judaism, Lanier also stressed "what we have in common is so much greater," adding "and so it behooves us to embrace one another and to be about the Father's business together."
Hundreds of thousands of Americans in support of Israel and the Jewish people also arrived in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday to condemn anti-semitism in the United States as part of the "Stand With Israel" event. "#MarchforIsrael" and "National Mall" are currently trending over on X. Benjamin referred to it as "probably one of the largest marches ever in support of Israel and in combatting anti-semitism and calling for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages."
Benjamin stressed Israeli forces are "doing their utmost" to "protect innocent bystanders," all while "Hamas is doing the exact opposite." Perhaps there's been no greater and shameful proof of that than Hamas using a hospital so as to hide behind civilians.
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