Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz has instructed the Israeli military to show detained pro-Palestinian activists a graphic film documenting the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023. According to a statement from his office, the decision is intended to confront the activists with the brutal reality of the terror group they sought to support by challenging Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza.
The 43-minute film, compiled by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, contains unedited, extremely graphic footage of the massacre. Many of the scenes were captured by the attackers themselves via body cameras and include images of civilians being murdered and their bodies desecrated.
“It’s appropriate that Greta the antisemite and her Hamas-supporting friends should see exactly who is the terror group Hamas that they support and act on behalf of, what atrocious acts they carried out on women, the elderly and kids, and who Israel is fighting for its defense against,” Katz said in the statement, referring to Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, the most prominent of the twelve individuals on board the vessel intercepted by the IDF.
Katz has instructed that the activists be shown the video upon their arrival in Ashdod, the port to which their ship is currently being towed after being seized near the Gaza coastline.
He commended the IDF soldiers involved in the operation for executing the takeover efficiently. Prior to the boarding, video footage showed that the activists intended to stage a nonviolent protest rather than resist physically.
The film, titled Bearing Witness, has been presented in closed viewings to journalists and opinion leaders around the world as part of Israel’s ongoing effort to raise awareness of Hamas’s crimes. While many have responded with shock and support, the graphic nature of the footage has stirred debate over its use.
In a related development, Israel’s Foreign Ministry released a photo of Greta Thunberg wearing her well-known frog hat, smiling as she accepts a sandwich from an Israeli soldier. The ministry noted that the activist is “safe and in good spirits.”
{Matzav.com Israel}