The October 7 Massacre: Explained

Exactly one year ago, Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists infiltrated Israel through air, land and sea, killing over 1,200 and taking 251 Israelis hostage.

October 7, also known as "Black Saturday," was the largest murder of Jews since the Holocaust. The massacre carried out by Hamas and Islamic Jihad (IJ) terrorists, both known terrorist proxies of Iran, was one of the largest and bloodiest international terrorist acts. Civilians from various countries were killed and/or taken hostage including: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Thailand, Russia, Germany, Austria, Ukraine, Argentina, Canada, Romania, Portugal, China, the Philippines, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Eritrea, Estonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Nepal, Paraguay, Poland, Romania, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Hungary and Denmark.

The October 7 Massacre was described by Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas official, as, “...just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth, because we have the determination, the resolve, and the capabilities to fight…”

Hamas’ goal to kill Israelis has been clear since its establishment and their terrorist activity against Israel started long before "Black Saturday". Here is a detailed account of the terrorist organization's massacre on October 7.

Exactly one year ago, Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists infiltrated Israel through air, land and sea, killing over 1,200 and taking 251 Israelis hostage.

October 7, also known as "Black Saturday," was the largest murder of Jews since the Holocaust. The massacre carried out by Hamas and Islamic Jihad (IJ) terrorists, both known terrorist proxies of Iran, was one of the largest and bloodiest international terrorist acts. Civilians from various countries were killed and/or taken hostage including: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Thailand, Russia, Germany, Austria, Ukraine, Argentina, Canada, Romania, Portugal, China, the Philippines, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Eritrea, Estonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Nepal, Paraguay, Poland, Romania, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Hungary and Denmark.

The October 7 Massacre was described by Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas official, as, “...just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth, because we have the determination, the resolve, and the capabilities to fight…”

Hamas’ goal to kill Israelis has been clear since its establishment and their terrorist activity against Israel started long before "Black Saturday". Here is a detailed account of the terrorist organization's massacre on October 7.

What Areas Were Affected by the October 7 Massacre?

Saturday, October 7, 2023, marked both the Sabbath and the holiday of Simchat Torah in Israel. At 6:30 A.M., 2,500 rockets were fired toward Israel. Not only the towns near Gaza were hit, but also towns dozens of kilometers from the Green Line. Sirens went off across the south of the country, as well as in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The attack caused massive civilian casualties, with direct hits on residential areas including Ashkelon, Ashdod, Be'er Sheva, and Sderot.

While Israeli civilians were forced to take cover in bomb shelters all across the country, Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists invaded Israel. The terrorists fired mortars at guard towers located on the demarcation line with Gaza and broke through the protective barrier on ATVs and cars; some of them flew into civilian areas on paragliders. One of Hamas’ elite commando units managed to get to the beach near Kibbutz Zikim via boat.

The terrorists used explosive devices and bulldozers to destroy the fences between Israel and Gaza. In total, the terrorists broke through the fences in more than 100 places. The terrorists targeted villages around Gaza, where they carried out a full-scale invasion and abducted hostages from their homes. Additionally, IDF military bases in southern Israel were targeted.

Kibbutz Be'eri

On October 7, at about 6 A.M, terrorists in vehicles drove up to the gates of Kibbutz Be'eri in vehicles. Along the way, they opened fire on several civilian cars that passed by, killing the drivers and passengers.

Having broken through the fence and entered the area of the kibbutz, Hamas terrorists began firing at houses with automatic weapons. Hamas also threw Molotov cocktails and explosives to set houses on fire and burn entire families alive. Some of the terrorists broke into the buildings, breaking down doors and blowing up the doors of the safe rooms in the homes of civilians. As a result of the attack, many residents were killed on the spot and several were taken hostage.

Among the victims killed and tortured by the terrorists in Be'eri were men, women, and even small children, including a one-year-old baby. The terrorists filmed their actions on cameras, documenting the brutality of the attack.

The operation to liberate Kibbutz Be'eri lasted for many hours. Further details about this attack can be read here.

Nahal Oz Base and Community

Near Kibbutz Nahal Oz, there was an outpost that was used to monitor the border between Gaza and Israel. At around 6:30 A.M., female soldiers who served as Field Observers in this outlook saw the terrorists approaching and tried to defend themselves against the infiltration.

160 terrorists blew up the gates of the base and stormed inside. The terrorists cut off the power to the base, disabling the cameras and the "See-Shoot" system.

As a result of the capture of the base by the terrorists, 66 soldiers defending the base were brutally killed and tortured, including 15 female soldiers from the 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade, who were operating the surveillance. Seven of the female soldiers were taken as hostages.

Videos filmed by the Hamas terrorists themselves clearly show signs of torture and other forms of physical violence on the soldiers' bodies. Additionally, terrorists are seen loading the hostages into vehicles, with blood stains visible on the women's t-shirts and pants.

At the same time as the Nukhba terrorists were seizing the outpost, other terrorists invaded Kibbutz Nahal Oz.

Before the IDF arrived at the scene of the attack, kibbutz residents began to defend themselves. The kibbutz first response team was able to slow down the advance of dozens of armed terrorists, significantly reducing the number of civilian casualties. Although the kibbutz was not captured by the terrorists after several hours of fighting, they still brought grief and death to the community, killing 15 people and taking 8 hostages.

Kibbutz Nir Oz

As thousands of rockets were being fired toward Israel on the morning of October 7, dozens of them fell into Kibbutz Nir Oz. While the kibbutz residents were hiding in shelters in their homes, the terrorists surrounded Nir Oz and broke through all the checkpoints to enter the community at the same time. Hamas terrorists broke into houses and shot entire families.

Footage from video cameras in the kibbutz clearly shows scenes of the beheading of Israeli civilians from the kibbutz by Hamas terrorists.

Nir Oz was one of the settlements most affected by the October 7 massacre . More than half of the kibbutz citizens were murdered by Hamas terrorists, and 80 were taken hostage.

Kibbutz Re’im and the Nova Music Festival

The Nova Music Festival was held near Kibbutz Re’im on October 6 and 7. Around 3,000 young people from all across the world attended the festival.

At 6:22 A.M., the music stopped due to sirens being sounded due to incoming rocket fire. Moments later the police ordered an evacuation. Hamas terrorists attacked the festival grounds, carrying automatic guns, RPGs, and grenades. Some Nova festival participants hid in tents and cars, hoping that the terrorists would not find them. Hamas militants blew up and fired at cars in which people tried to hide or escape. Many ran in panic into open fields, bushes, and ravines, seeking refuge in the desert, where they hid for several hours until help arrived. The terrorists fired not only at vehicles but also at toilet cubicles, tents, and other shelters where people tried to save themselves. The wounded hid among the bodies of the murdered.

Some who managed to escape tried to flee in all directions, but the terrorists pursued them on motorcycles, shooting them down. In total, 347 young people were found murdered at the festival site, with signs of bullet wounds, knife wounds, and other forms of violence. Among the victims were teenagers and disabled individuals. Additionally, 40 civilians from different countries were taken hostage.

Another group of Hamas terrorists entered the surrounding Kibbutz Re’im at the same time. This community was one of the first targets of Hamas during the October 7 massacre.

The terrorists used a civilian car to infiltrate the kibbutz. They began shooting and setting houses on fire, but the local forces engaged them in a gunfight, holding them off until police and IDF forces arrived. IDF and police forces battled the terrorists for 13 hours in this area.

Kfar Aza

On the morning of October 7, around 6:29 A.M., Hamas terrorists infiltrated Kibbutz Kfar Aza using paragliders, motorcycles, and cars. They began their attack by flying over the security fence with paragliders, which enabled them to reach the community quickly. Other groups of terrorists breached the community’s security using motorcycles and cars.

The first response team tried to defend the kibbutz with their own arms, but there were too many terrorists. The terrorists utilized automatic weapons, grenades, and knives during their infiltration of this community. They broke into houses and killed residents on the spot.

A total of 19 people were taken hostage and 200 people were killed in the kibbutz, including 40 children.

Many victims were found with their hands bound behind their backs or decapitated.

Sderot

At around 7:00 A.M., terrorists from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad entered the city of Sderot. They entered the city in armed cars and motorcycles, shooting indiscriminately at residential buildings and civilian vehicles. The terrorists controlled the city for several hours. Local security forces entered the battle, gradually pushing back the militants. The terrorists hid in a police station, from where they continued to fire. After several hours of fighting, the city was liberated. As a result of rocket fire and a terrorist attack, Sderot was one of the hardest hit cities during the October 7 massacre.

Even before the terrorists entered the city, civilians suffered direct hits from rockets fired during a massive shelling from Gaza.

In addition to the casualties from the shelling, the terrorists carried out a brutal massacre of pensioners in Sderot. Hamas gunmen shot dead 13 elderly Israelis who had stepped off a tour bus after an air raid siren sounded. The bodies of the victims showed signs of follow-up shots to the head, indicating that they were deliberately executed after the initial shooting.

Ofakim

The town of Ofakim is located 24 kilometers from the security fence.

At around 7 A.M., the terrorists entered the town using vehicles armed with RPGs, automatic weapons, and grenades and began randomly shooting civilian buildings and cars.

In addition to shooting at civilian infrastructure and killing any civilian they could find, the terrorists took civilians hostage and used them as human shields. For example, Hamas militants held a married couple for 22 hours while the IDF carried out a rescue operation, simultaneously fighting the terrorists. As a result, the couple was successfully rescued, and the terrorists were eliminated.

Nirim

Terrorists from the Nukhba group entered the kibbutz on motorcycles and pickup trucks, armed with RPGs, automatic weapons and grenades. As soon as they crossed the settlement's border, they began setting fire to and shooting at civilian homes and cars. The terrorists immediately encountered strong resistance from the first response team of the kibbutz, who were soon joined by IDF units, including helicopter support. After several hours of intense fighting, the kibbutz was liberated from the terrorists.

As a result of the attack, five people were killed and four were kidnapped.

Holit

Around 8:00 A.M., Hamas terrorists entered Kibbutz Holit. They entered homes and indiscriminately killed residents. Many houses were destroyed or damaged by the detonation of shells and fire. The terrorists also cut power lines and stopped the water supply to the community, forcing civilians, including children, to hide in shelters without power or water under constant shelling.

As a result of the attack, the terrorists killed 13 residents of the kibbutz, including women and teenagers.

Zikim

Some of the terrorists from an elite Hamas unit left a port in Gaza by boat and headed for the beach near Kibbutz Zikim. Some of the boats were illuminated along the way by the Israel Navy, but others managed to reach the shore. Hamas employed a combined tactic involving penetration by both land and sea. The terrorists completely destroyed all civilian infrastructure located on the beach and infiltrated in the civilian districts, located nearby.

The terrorists headed for a nearby military base, where at that time there were cadets who had served in the IDF for less than a month. The instructors and commanders of the base engaged the terrorists, covering the retreat of the cadets. Almost all of the commanders were killed.

By 7:00 A.M., the base was under the control of the terrorists.

After capturing the base, Hamas militants headed for Kibbutz Zikim but were stopped by security forces and police.

Terrorists killed 19 civilians and 8 soldiers around Zikim.

Ashkelon

Ashkelon is located 20 kilometers from Gaza. On October 7, the city's residents, like the rest of the country, were awakened by air raid sirens. The city was subjected to intense rocket attacks and shelling, which directly hit residential areas and destroyed entire houses. Ashkelon has become one of the most shelled cities in Israel since October 7.

Ashkelon also faced an additional threat: three terrorists infiltrated the southern industrial area of the city with the intention of advancing further, attacking civilians and taking hostages. As a result of the special operation, all terrorists were successfully eliminated before they caused any damage to the civilian population.

Additional Communities Near the Security Fence

All towns located near the Green Line, even those not taken over by Hamas terrorists, were subjected to intense shelling, resulting in the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the killing and wounding of Israeli civilians. More than 62,000 civilians were evacuated from towns near Gaza due to the terrorist threat.

Central Israel

During the attack on October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a coordinated assault on Israel, which included central areas like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Thousands of rockets were fired from Gaza, reaching as far as central Israel. Sirens blared, and civilians scrambled to shelters as the Iron Dome intercepted many missiles, though some still caused damage.

Tel Aviv and cities in the surrounding area experienced air raid sirens throughout the day as Hamas expanded its rocket strikes beyond the southern area of the country. Although central Israel was not subject to ground invasions like communities near the border, the psychological impact and changes in day-to-day life were significant. Businesses, schools, and public services shut down, and many residents remained in shelters for hours.

War Crimes Committed by Hamas on October 7

The massacre carried out by Hamas on October 7th involved numerous violations of international law and the rules of war. Among the war crimes committed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad are the following:

The Mass Murder of Civilians

During the attack, Hamas terrorists deliberately killed civilians solely based on their nationality and religion—because they were Jews or Israelis. The bodies of the victims showed signs of torture, violence, tying up, and finishing off the wounded. There were cases of execution and burnings. Among the 1200 that were murdered during the massacre were the elderly, the disabled, women, children, and infants.

Taking Hostages

According to international law, hostage-taking is a form of international terrorism. During the invasion, Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists kidnapped 251 people, including women and children. Among the hostages was a child who was only nine-months-old at the time of the abduction.

Indiscriminate Shelling

Indiscriminate attacks on residential areas constitute a war crime because they endanger the lives of civilians. Hamas' desire for the destruction of Israel is shown by their tactic of indiscriminate shelling. On October 7, millions of Israeli civilians were awakened by sirens and various explosions. Despite the operation of air defense systems, due to the volume of firing projectiles, many direct hits occurred, causing destruction, injuries, and deaths among civilians.

Use of Human Shields

Hamas actively uses the tactic of placing military infrastructure in densely populated civilian areas. During operational activity in Gaza, the IDF discovered hundreds of launch sites and rocket storage facilities, including those used in the October 7 attack.

You can read more about this war crime, committed by Hamas here.

Military Use of Civilian Infrastructure

According to international law, humanitarian infrastructure loses its status when used for military purposes. The IDF has repeatedly demonstrated evidence of using hospitals, schools, and places of worship for military purposes, such as launching rockets, hosting headquarters, and storing weapons.

You can read more about this war crime, committed by Hamas here.

UNRWA's Role in the October 7 Massacre

The IDF has repeatedly provided evidence of UNRWA's direct and indirect cooperation with the terrorist organization Hamas.

The UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) published evidence of the participation of 19 UNRWA employees in the events of October 7, including the kidnapping of hostages. “We have female hostages, I captured one.” This was said by an UNRWA teacher that took part in the October 7 massacre.

Cooperation with terrorists, as well as direct participation in the mass murder of civilians in Israel and other countries, including Canada, Germany, and Thailand provide evidence that UNRWA and Hamas are linked.

Our Response to the October 7 Massacre

In response to the unprecedented attack by Hamas, the IDF has been operating for the past year against terror threats posed on Israeli civilians.

The IDF will continue operating until the security of Israeli civilians is ensured.