Search

‘Evil that defies words’ – Footage of Hamas atrocities screened in US Senate

40 senators watch film documenting horrors of Hamas invasion.

Susan Tawil, World Israel News

A bi-partisan gathering of 40 members of the U.S .Senate met on Tuesday to screen the now-notorious documentary of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

The video was compiled by the Israel Defense Force (IDF) from security footage, body-cam evidence, and the social media postings of the terrorists, gathered from the massacre.

The graphic 47-minute video presents evidence of the atrocities on Israeli civilians committed during the surprise terror attack.

The film has been shown selectively to various groups, such as members of Knesset (Israeli Parliament), the British Parliament, hand-picked groups of journalists, and groups of Hollywood celebrities, among others.

It was viewed by about 150 members of the US House of Representatives two weeks ago (Nov 14).

Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) arranged the screening for the Senate, together with Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog.

Rosen, who is Jewish, released a statement in advance of the viewing, describing the Oct 7 attack by the Gaza Palestinians as “the worst terrorist attack in Israel’s history—the single deadliest day for the Jews since the Holocaust.”

She went on to explain the purpose of the screening: “Given the effort by some individuals and organizations around the world to distort and deny what happened that day, it was important that, as policymakers, we bear witness to the full extent of the atrocities committed by Hamas.”

Read  12 US lawmakers demand probe into IDF Lebanon strike

She hoped that the video would convince the Senate to support a $14 billion emergency aid package to Israel.

On the early morning of Oct 7, thousands of Palestinian terrorists broke through Israel’s security fence and, in a well-planned, pre-meditated attack, invaded sleeping Israeli towns adjacent to the Gaza border, as well as a neighboring music festival.

There, they savagely murdered over 1,200 Israelis, most of them civilians.

The terrorists also raped, tortured, mutilated, and burned alive terrified border town residents and concert-goers with unspeakable cruelty.

Thousands of Israelis were wounded, and some 240 were taken hostage back to Gaza for use as bargaining chips and human shields.

The images revealed in the video are so brutal that they are difficult to watch. Many of the Senators were stunned into silence, and left the viewing pale and unable to comment to reporters waiting outside.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) commented to reporters later that day about the impact of watching the video. “It was jarring and harrowing,” he said. “It shook all of us up in the room. I had to go sit in my office for a half-hour alone after seeing it.”

Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) told reporters: “There is a level of evil and hate and depravity that defies words, and it is astonishing that there are still some in America and across the globe who deny these atrocities occurred.”

Read  Democratic Senator: 'Why are people criticizing Israel? They should criticize Hamas'

Senator Rubio remarked on the importance of seeing the video in real time, while Israel’s battle to eliminate the Hamas terror group is still raging: “I think it’s really important not to sanitize this over time,” he said. Aside from the raw carnage, what the Senator said stunned him the most was witnessing the jubilation of the perpetrators in their acts of evil: “the glee and the joy and the pride that the people involved in these horrifying crimes took in what they were doing.”

Viewing the IDF video reinforced the determination of Senator Thom Tillis (R, NC) to back Israel politically.

Posting on X after the screening, he wrote: “Today, my Senate colleagues and I watched footage of the devastation caused by Hamas’ horrific terrorist attack against Israel…What we saw was not for the faint-hearted. Hamas is pure evil and must be destroyed. Hamas has made it clear that they will stop at nothing to eliminate Israel and its people. As Israel’s longtime ally and friend, we must do everything we can to support its efforts to defend itself and destroy Hamas.”