The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday released graphic video footage documenting Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians during the October 7, 2023 massacre, directly rebutting a newly published Hamas report that claims its fighters did not deliberately target noncombatants.
The video, approximately 11 minutes long, compiles previously unreleased and previously circulated footage from the day of the attack. According to the IDF, it represents only a small portion of the material collected from body cameras, security cameras, dashcams, and mobile phones recovered in the aftermath of the assault.
In a statement accompanying the footage, the military said the images “are not allegations but documented events,” and were released in response to a 42-page Hamas document published on December 24. That Hamas report rejects accusations that its fighters intentionally targeted civilians, hospitals, or schools during the cross-border attack, and calls for an independent international investigation into casualty claims.
The IDF video shows gunmen attacking unarmed civilians in homes, on roads, and in open areas, including footage from kibbutzim in southern Israel and the Supernova music festival site. Scenes include militants throwing grenades into field shelters, firing on fleeing vehicles, entering family homes, and killing civilians at close range. Some footage shows the aftermath of attacks, including bloodstained rooms and dead pets inside destroyed homes.
According to Israeli authorities, more than 1,200 people were murdered during the October 7 assault, the vast majority of them civilians. Among the dead were 348 young people killed at the Supernova music festival near Re’im. An additional 251 people were abducted and taken into Gaza, triggering the ongoing war.
The IDF said the decision to release the footage was made despite its disturbing nature, in order to counter what it described as a deliberate attempt by Hamas to rewrite the events of October 7. Military officials emphasized that the material had already been preserved for investigative and judicial purposes, but was now being shown publicly because of the claims circulating internationally.
Hamas’ report, which was shared by Ramy Abdu, head of the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, asserts that fighters were instructed to avoid civilian targets and accuses Israel of spreading disinformation about the massacre. Israeli officials rejected the report outright, describing it as propaganda designed to obscure responsibility for what they say was a systematic campaign of murder, rape, and abduction.
