New campaign against denial of Hamas' October 7 massacre
In light of increasing voices denying Hamas’ October 7 massacre, the CyberWell organization and Israel’s Civil Advocacy Center have joined forces in an emotional campaign leading the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which will be marked on January 27.
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The video features Israeli children who were abducted by Hamas, and returned home: Daphna Elyakim, 15, Ella Elyakim, 8, and Eitan Yahalomi, 12, who were taken from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz by Hamas terrorists, along with 92-year-old Holocaust survivor Avigdor Neumann.
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Dafna and Ella Elyakim, Avigdor Neumann, Eitan Yahalomi and Eitan Yahalomi
(Photo: Sapir Mualem)
In the video, both organizations highlight the phenomenon of denying the events of October 7 and compare it to Holocaust denial. Throughout the clip, the children watch a foreign-made video claiming that Israel was lying, and that the events of October 7 never happened. Neumann reacts to the shocked children, emphasizing that "there are things that cannot be erased," while pointing to the tattooed number on his arm.
The Washington Post reported on Sunday on a disturbing phenomenon that is gaining momentum: the denial of the massacre carried out by Hamas on October 7. The newspaper said that despite evidence that Hamas committed these horrible acts, including footage captured by the terrorists themselves, denial continues to spread.
According to the paper, the number of massacre deniers in the United States is currently small, but growing. Some claim the IDF carried out the massacre to "justify genocide in Gaza," while others believe some hostages were kidnapped by Israel. Some are even confident that the United States was behind the attack.
"Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, and especially as the fighting continues, we hear more and more voices worldwide attempting to deny the horrible disaster we experienced. We are faced with threats, and unfortunately attempts to deny our past," says Eliav Batito, head of the Civil Advocacy Center.
"The world must recognize that denying the events of October 7 is an antisemitic act, just like denying other atrocities that the Jewish people have faced throughout history. There’s no more fitting day than the International Holocaust Remembrance Day to convey this important message,” he added.
CyberWall CEO Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor said, "This campaign illustrates the newest form of antisemitic discourse gaining momentum on social media – the denial of the events of the October 7 massacre.
“As an organization that launched the first open platform for monitoring antisemitism on social networks, we call on these platforms to update their community guidelines and address content that denies horrific events as per their policies – to handle and remove content that denies and distorts the memory of the Holocaust,” she added.
"Nevertheless, it was important for us to clarify this message beyond our professional activities and reports, and to clearly emphasize that denying deliberate violent acts against Jews is promoting hatred against Jews.