Chilling Hamas attack footage aired in Australia
Shocking footage of the Hamas attack on Israel has been shown for the first time in Australia, as the government urges respect for civilian life.
Israeli soldiers remove bodies of civilians in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Oct. 10, 2023. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90.
Horrific footage of Hamas militants murdering Israelis has been shown for the first time in Australia.
A group of Australian journalists on Tuesday were shown a compilation of videos of the October 7 attack.
The footage included videos that were filmed by the militants, CCTV vision, videos taken by terrified victims and first responders arriving in the aftermath.
But not all of the footage was released out of respect for the families of the victims.
Disturbing images showed murdered small children and babies that had been set on fire by militants.
Pathways of blood led to a pile of bodies in the homes of Israeli civilians who had been butchered alongside their families.
Hamas militants wore Israel Defence Force uniforms, which they likely stole from military bases to use as disguises, to begin their rampage of horror.
Tricking civilians in cars to come to a halt on the road, they then gunned the passengers down, before dumping the bodies on the ground and driving off with the cars of the people they murdered.
The chilling video showed militants cheering and laughing as they filmed themselves shooting dogs in Israeli neighbourhoods and families trying to hide in safety rooms.
One man was recorded telling his family he had killed 10 Jews with his bare hands, proudly telling his parents to check what he had sent them on WhatsApp.
Hostages taken by Hamas were dumped into the back of utes with broken bones and bullet wounds.
Militants were recorded taking selfies with the hostages they had kidnapped.
The video showed the bodies of gunned-down festival goers, including a woman found with her skirt hiked up around her waist and her underwear pulled down.
A spokeswoman from the Israeli embassy in Australia said it was an “obligation” for the footage to be shared.
She said Israel was not embarking on a “narrative war” but was telling the truth about the depravity of the attack.
A military advisor to the embassy said it was with a “heavy heart” the footage was being shown.
Militants were shown using rocket-propelled grenades, grenades, and machine guns to murder people.
Australia is urging the protection of all civilians across Israel and occupied Palestinian territories as efforts continue to establish a safe humanitarian corridor out of Gaza.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has held phone calls with International Committee of the Red Cross president Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, Lebanon’s caretaker foreign minister Bou Habib and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
Senator Wong spoke to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi earlier in the week.
The Rafah crossing connects Egypt and the Gaza strip.
“Regrettably, efforts to secure passage have not yet been successful,” the spokeswoman said.
The department is in contact with 88 Australians in Gaza who have no way to exit the region.
At least 1400 Israelis have been killed, and more than 230 were taken hostage.
Gazan authorities say the death toll among Palestinians has passed 8000 due to Israel’s retaliatory strikes.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was important to recognise Israel’s right to defend itself, but how it did so mattered.
“We need to make sure, as well, that every civilian life is valued, whether it be Israeli or Palestinian – every innocent loss of life is a tragedy,” he told reporters in Bundaberg on Tuesday.
Former prime ministers John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison issued a joint statement on Monday calling for Australians to remain united in the face of conflict abroad.
By: Tess Ikonomou, Dominic Giannini and Andrew Brown (AAP)
Unfortunately these day’s it take a picture to really tell a story on this scale…….such is the desensitizing of words.