Militants called their families bragging of killing Israelis: IDF shows foreign journalists previously unseen footage of Hamas atrocities

In a press conference for foreign journalists on Monday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) showed previously unseen footage of the Hamas attacks on southern Israel on October 7. The footage depicted the killing of civilians in kibbutzim on the border with the Gaza Strip, as well as the attack on the Nova Music Festival, and included photos of murdered infants, according to a report by The Insider’s correspondent from the Glilot military base, where the event was held.

On Monday, the Israeli military hosted over a hundred foreign media representatives and screened a 43-minute video showing footage from surveillance cameras on roads and inside the homes of kibbutz residents affected by the Hamas attacks. It also featured clips from Hamas body cameras, alongside pictures taken by ZAKA volunteers during the recovery of the dead. The military explained that more similar video footage is available. As of now, this footage has only been shared with journalists, as the process of confirming the identities of the deceased hasn't been completed, and the families of the victims haven't been officially notified of their loss.

In particular, the surveillance footage showed groups of terrorists approaching Kibbutz Be'eri, singing songs, at 6:30 am. The group shot a guard, but was only able to enter the kibbutz 20 minutes later, when a resident tried to leave. Several terrorists shot the resident and a fellow passenger in their car, removed the bodies, left them on the road, and drove into the kibbutz. Dozens of terrorists managed to infiltrate the settlement, and then went door-to-door indiscriminately firing at residents. They entered homes, tossed grenades into safe rooms and basements, and pulled out wounded children and adults to kill them.

One surveillance video from another kibbutz showed a group of terrorists trying to chop off a man's head with a shovel. The Israeli military found at least several rooms where the terrorists had stacked several dismembered bodies.

Security cameras also captured some of the attackers dragging screaming women into homes. Volunteers would later find and photograph several burnt bodies of women in unnatural poses with their legs spread apart.

Journalists were also shown photos of murdered and burned young children from the kibbutzim. In one photo, a child could be seen with severe head trauma.

The Israeli military also showed video footage from the Nova Music Festival attack, which happened nearby. At the same time, Hamas fighters phoned their relatives in Gaza to report the number of Israelis they had killed. In one audio recording, a militant called his father, claimed to have taken ten lives, and asked for recognition as a hero.

Cover photo: A grab from a UGC video posted on Telegram shows an armed Palestinian militant walking around the music festival in the Negev Desert where more than 200 people were killed on Saturday, October 7, 2023. Source: Anonymous via AFP