An unprecedented assault by Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip led to the incomprehensible massacre of over 1,400 innocent people and the abduction of over 240 hostages. This inhumane act of mass terror left a scar on the collective conscience of Jews and other free, civilized people worldwide. Hamas terrorists not only killed, tortured, raped, and kidnapped, but they also took pride in their acts, took their time, documented and uploaded their heinous acts to the web in order to flaunt them, glorify themselves, incite others, and terrorize the rest of the free world.
The first response of many was utter shock and horror – condemnation came from virtually every democratic leader across the globe. Even those who are not considered supporters of Israel or frequently criticize it, called for the support of Israel in its hour of need and its declared purpose to put an end to Hamas' reign of terror.
Hamas, which undoubtedly didn't foresee this unprecedented reaction toward its actions and the support for its termination, began to change course. Its terrorists then began what seemed at first a futile effort to take down the videos and images its own people uploaded to the web and changed their tune. Their official claim will then be that they've never targeted civilians, that the massacre never happened, and that Israel manufactured much of the civilian casualties, the images, and the narrative. We, the Jewish people, have grown accustomed to Hamas' lies and masterful ways of manipulation. However, despite the magnitude of the event and the evidence demonstrating it, we rightly predicted that the antisemites around the globe would begin to deny the unprecedented evil that occurred. For that, we have started the painful process of securing the evidence, proving without a doubt the horrors of that fateful day, ensuring they live on in infamy.
Israeli citizens took on this task of countering the so-called "Hamassacre Denial" by creating multiple online resources to show the world what really happened on October 7.
Websites like Hamas-Massacre.net are putting on view the raw videos and photos from the day of the massacre showing Hamas war crimes and crimes against humanity. And Oct7Map.com, which pinpoints the execution location of each elderly person, child, woman, and man killed during Hamas' massacre in Southern Israel. October7.org was created to share survivor testimonies, giving first-hand accounts of people who witnessed the horrors and war crimes committed by Hamas terrorists.
The 1,400 lives lost aren't just numbers; they represent fathers, mothers, children, friends, and loved ones. When hundreds of foreign journalists were shown raw footage taken from the GoPro cameras worn by the terrorists as they were rampaging and murdering, journalists reported breaking down in tears and begging the footage to stop. One journalist described what they saw as "ISIS on steroids."
Unfortunately, just as the Jewish people have come to experience Holocaust denial, so too we will come to contend with the denial of Hamas' atrocities.
In fact, this awful phenomenon has already begun.
Despite the overwhelming video evidence, there has been a concerted effort since that ill-fated Saturday morning to downplay or deny the massacre that took place. Some antisemites have even flipped the blame onto Israel and blamed the IDF for the scores of Israeli civilian casualties, not Hamas.
Basem Naim, for example, the so-called Head of International Relations for Hamas, shamelessly lied during a Sky News interview when he asserted that "We [Hamas] didn't kill any civilians" on October 7, calling it "Israeli propaganda." It's hard to see how alleging that babies and elderly Holocaust survivors could have been mistaken for combatants can pass as a legitimate claim by any honest listener, but shockingly, Naim knew that there were those who would happily adopt his outrageously twisted narrative.
It's statements like the ones above, and others expressed at various pro-Hamas protests that appear to be the driving force behind sites like Hamas-Massacre.net, Oct7Map.com, and others.
As Holocaust museums and other memorial projects have taught us, one of the most powerful tools against denial is meticulous documentation. History has shown that atrocities, if not well-documented, can be denied or downplayed by future generations. Thus, we need to arm ourselves against potential deniers, ensuring that the truth of what transpired remains unassailable.
While it's true that revisiting traumatic events can be painful, the pain of forgetting or misrepresenting history is far worse. The Hamas massacre of October 7 was a dark chapter in human history. The act of remembering and documenting is a way to ensure that the victims are honored, and the truth perseveres. It also serves as a compass, helping us remember why we must act to prevent such evil from ever prevailing again.
Yifa Segal, Esq. is an expert in international law, former Chair & CEO of the International Legal Forum, and former Chief of Staff to Israel's Ambassador to the United States.
This op-ed is published in partnership with a coalition of organizations that fight antisemitism across the world. Read the previous article by Raouf Leeraar.