Unsolved:Denial of the 7 October attacks

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Denial of the October 7 attacks is the denial that Hamas attacked Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023,[1][2] or the denial that certain acts attributed to Hamas were committed of which there is evidence of, including sexual and gender-based violence[3] and immolation and mutilation of bodies.[4][5]

Individuals worldwide including politicians, journalists and other public figures, have denied or downplayed the atrocities Hamas committed, despite extensive evidence documenting the attack.[6] Various versions of what transpired on that day are being circulated, including the claim that Israel orchestrated the incident, blaming Israel for the deaths of its own civilians.[2]

Some people within this growing denial movement, often associated with conspiracy theories and Holocaust denial, say that the attack was a "false flag" operation orchestrated by Israel, potentially with collaboration from the United States. This narrative has gained traction on social media platforms like TikTok, Reddit, and 4chan. The denial movement has manifested in real-world events, with demonstrators at anti-Israel protests making claims of Israel staging the attack, spreading false and unverified accusations and instances of posters depicting hostages being removed in cities such as London and Chicago.[2]

The Palestinian public's response to the attacks and the subsequent Israeli military campaign in Gaza is marked by a widespread denial of the atrocities of October 7, along with a considerable praise for Hamas.[7] A recent poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research revealed that only 7% of Palestinians believed that Hamas committed atrocities on October 7, over 70% of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip expressed support for Hamas' decision to carry out the attack.[8][9]

A scholar has compared it to Holocaust denialism.[10]

Background

On 7 October 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. It began at 06:30 am, when thousands of rockets were launched from Gaza to Israel. Simultaneously an estimate of 1,500 terrorists breached the Gaza-Israel boarder, attacking Israeli civilian communities, military bases and a music festival.[11]

The Hamas attack on civilians included not only murders but documented sexual offenses against the women they encountered,[12][13] immolation, mutilation of body parts and kidnapping 240 Israeli civilians into Gaza.[5] Following the attack, Hamas published photos of beheaded soldiers.[14]

Cases of denial

By Hamas leaders

On 7 November 2023, Moussa Abu Marzouk, a member of Hamas's political bureau, stated in a BBC interview that Hamas did not target women, children, or civilians in the October 7 attack.[1] Hamas official Basem Naim, remarked that the operation on October 7th was "very short", adding that Hamas' militants only had enough time to complete their mission "to crush the enemy's military sites".[15]

Hamas has dismissed allegations of its involvement in sexual and gender-based violence as "wartime propaganda," suggesting that such accusations are aimed at "justifying the very real crimes of mass murder and ethnic cleansing that Israel is carrying out against our people," in relation to Israel's ground offensive in Gaza.[15]

On 22 January 2024, Hamas released a document titled "our narrative...Operation Al-Aqsa Flood". In the 16-page report Hamas justifies their attack on October 7 and denies the claims they committed atrocities on that day. The document claims that the attacks on October 7 were solely toward Israeli soldiers and denies attacks and murders of civilians, raids on homes and kibbutzim in Israel and the kidnapping of 240 people, including women and children.[16][17]

Palestinian public figures

On 11 November 2023, the Palestinian Authority (PA) published an official statement denying Hamas' involvement in the Re'im music festival massacre on October 7. Later on they reportedly withdrew the earlier statement denying Hamas's involvement in the massacre and removed the published document. They did not publish an official apology or correction.[18][19]

Israeli public figures

MK Iman Khatib-Yasin expressed her doubts on an interview on November 5 regarding the October 7 atrocities. Following her claim, MK Mansour Abbas, leader of the Islamist Ra’am party, called for her immediate resignation.[20][21] Later, after personally seeing the evidence, she apologized for her doubt in Hamas's actions. [22]

Universities

A University of Minnesota professor, in a summoning with university heads, stated she had no knowledge of rape used by Hamas during the attacks, equating it with false accusations of rape against black men in the United States.[23]

Social media

Some social media remarks have included denials of the October 7 attacks with some claiming they were an "Israeli false-flag operation", along with Holocaust denial and revisionism.[10] During the Kidnapped from Israel campaign, people who took down posters of kidnapped Israeli civilians alleged that there were no hostages.[10]

Palestinian public opinion

A December 2023 poll by the Palestianian Center for Policy and Survey Research showed that seven percent of Palestinians believed Hamas committed atrocities during the October 7 attack, and that 82% of West Bank Palestinians believed it was in Hamas' best interest to conduct the attack compared to 57% of Gazans believing it.[9]

Reasons for denialism

Misinformation

Misinformation can take various forms, from using misleading language to intentionally omitting crucial facts while emphasizing others.[24][25]

Responses

Due to the denialism[better source needed] that raised in regard to the massacre toward Israelis on October 7, and in attempt to counter the denial or downplay of the events, the Israeli government presented a 43-minute film to dozens of foreign journalists. The movie presented live footage captured by security cameras, body cameras worn by the Hamas operatives themselves, social media and footage from personal mobile phones that documented the events in real time. The content involved the loss of young lives and the act of beheading victims. According to The Time Magazine, The documentation is essential as the spread of denial about the October 7 events rise on social media.[26][27]

References

Template:References listTemplate:2023 Israel–Hamas war



  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Hamas leader refuses to acknowledge killing of civilians in Israel" (in en-GB). 2023-11-06. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67321241. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Dwoskin, Elizabeth (2024-01-22). "Growing Oct. 7 ‘truther’ groups say Hamas massacre was a false flag" (in en-US). Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/01/21/hamas-attack-october-7-conspiracy-israel/. 
  3. ↑ "Evidence suggests dozens of Israeli women were raped or mutilated by Hamas" (in en). 2023-12-06. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/hamas-rape-israeli-women-oct-7-rcna128221. 
  4. ↑ Chotiner, Isaac (2023-12-10). "How Hamas Used Sexual Violence on October 7th" (in en-US). The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/how-hamas-used-sexual-violence-on-october-7th. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Israel Gaza: Hamas raped and mutilated women on 7 October, BBC hears" (in en-GB). 2023-12-05. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67629181. 
  6. ↑ Ynet (2024-01-22). "Denial of Hamas' October 7 massacre spreads in US" (in en). Ynetnews. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/syxgwasy6. 
  7. ↑ "For most Palestinians, October 7’s savagery is literally unbelievable. Blame the TV news?". https://www.timesofisrael.com/for-most-palestinians-october-7s-savagery-is-literally-unbelievable-blame-the-tv-news/. 
  8. ↑ Algemeiner, The (2023-12-14). "Palestinians Largely Support Oct. 7 Massacre, Deny Hamas Guilty of War Crimes: Poll - Algemeiner.com" (in en-US). https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/12/14/palestinians-largely-support-oct-7-massacre-deny-hamas-guilty-war-crimes-poll/. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Palestinians largely support October 7 massacre, deny atrocities – poll" (in en-US). 2023-12-13. https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-777918. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Prince, Cathryn (2024-01-29). "Are conspiracy theories about Oct. 7 a new form of Holocaust denial? Experts weigh in". Times of Israel. https://www.timesofisrael.com/are-conspiracy-theories-about-oct-7-a-new-form-of-holocaust-denial-experts-weigh-in/. 
  11. ↑ Rubin, Shira; Morris, Loveday (2023-10-31). "How Hamas broke through Israel’s border defenses during Oct. 7 attack" (in en-US). Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/27/hamas-attack-israel-october-7-hostages/. 
  12. ↑ McKernan, Bethan (2024-01-18). "Evidence points to systematic use of rape and sexual violence by Hamas in 7 October attacks" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/18/evidence-points-to-systematic-use-of-rape-by-hamas-in-7-october-attacks. 
  13. ↑ Rennolds, Nathan. "Hamas used horrific sexual violence, raping and mutilating Israeli women and girls on October 7: NYT" (in en-US). https://www.businessinsider.com/hamas-sexual-violence-october-7-attacks-israel-nyt-2023-12. 
  14. ↑ "Unverified reports of ‘40 babies beheaded’ in Israel-Hamas war inflame social media" (in en). 2023-10-12. https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/unverified-allegations-beheaded-babies-israel-hamas-war-inflame-social-rcna119902. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Gettleman, Jeffrey; Schwartz, Anat; Sella, Adam (2024-01-29). "U.N. to Study Reports of Sexual Violence in Israel During Oct. 7 Attack" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/29/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-sexual-violence-un.html. 
  16. ↑ "Hamas releases propaganda doc denying Oct 7 atrocities" (in en-US). 2024-01-22. https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-783233. 
  17. ↑ "Hamas releases report clarifying Operation Al-Aqsa Flood". https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/hamas-releases-report-clarifying-operation-al-aqsa-flood/3115099. 
  18. ↑ "i24NEWS". https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/1700470299-palestinian-authority-retracts-statement-denying-hamas-responsibility-for-massacre. 
  19. ↑ Eichner, Itamar (2023-11-20). "Palestinian Authority quietly removes official denial of Re'im massacre" (in en). Ynetnews. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rjaphkd4p. 
  20. ↑ "Arab MK apoligizes for denial of October 7th horrors". https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/379758. 
  21. ↑ "Ra’am party chief calls on MK to resign for claiming Hamas ‘didn’t slaughter babies’". https://www.timesofisrael.com/raam-party-chief-calls-on-mk-to-resign-for-claiming-hamas-didnt-slaughter-babies/. 
  22. ↑ "Arab MK apoligizes for denial of October 7th horrors". https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/379758. 
  23. ↑ "US professor who denies Oct. 7 rape cases up for top role at campus diversity office". https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-professor-who-denies-oct-7-rape-cases-up-for-top-role-at-campus-diversity-office/. 
  24. ↑ "Inside the Israel-Hamas Information War" (in en). 2023-12-22. https://time.com/6549544/israel-and-hamas-the-media-war/. 
  25. ↑ "October 7 conspiracies spreading in U.S. – report". https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/1705920789-october-7-conspiracies-spreading-in-u-s-report. 
  26. ↑ Carroll, Rory (2023-10-23). "Israel shows footage of Hamas killings ‘to counter denial of atrocities’" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/23/israel-shows-footage-of-hamas-killings-to-counter-denial-of-atrocities. 
  27. ↑ "The Worst 45 Minute Film You Will Ever See" (in en). 2024-01-23. https://time.com/6565186/october-7-hamas-attack-footage-film/. 
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