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

Following the atrocities carried out by Hamas on October 7, denialism has emerged on a global scale. Individuals worldwide including politicians, journalists and other public figures, have denied or downplayed the atrocities Hamas committed, despite extensive evidence documenting the attack. 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.

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.

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. 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.

Scholars have compared it to Holocaust denialism.

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.

The Hamas attack on civilians included not only murders but documented sexual offenses against the women they encountered and towards men, immolation, mutilation of body parts and kidnapping 240 Israeli civilians into Gaza. Following the attack, Hamas published photos of beheaded soldiers and  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on X (formerly Twitter) pictures of murdered and burnt babies. Although it has been reported that babies have been beheaded by Hamas as part of the attack, No substantial evidence had been presented public regarding the claims.

Cases of denial

By Hamas leaders

On November 7, 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.

Hamas Leader Khaled Mashal denied transgressions against Israeli civilians on the October 7 attack during an interview with Al-Arabiya Network. According to Mashal, Hamas only attacked Israeli soldiers and referred to the thousands of Israeli civilians murders simply as casualties.

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.

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.

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. Later, after personally seeing the evidence, she apologized for her doubt in Hamas's actions.

International politicians

Sira Rego, a Spanish politician of Palestinian ancestry and a member of the European Parliament, defended the events on October 7, accusing Israel of engaging in "cold-blooded murder." She also dismissed Hamas's responsibility for actions such as the killing of children, the assault on women, beheading civilians, and the murder of hundreds of Israelis during the Nova Music Festival. She was later appointed Minister for Youth and Children, despite her remarks.

Universities

On 21 January 2024, University of Minnesota professor was reported to deny the rape and sexual violence allegations against Hamas on October 7 to the university review panel. The professor applied for a senior position in the school's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) department. As part of her application, According to the article, she claimed it is racist to attribute the acts to Palestinian terrorists. She was not selected for the position.

Social Media

Following the October 7 attacks, there has been an increase in activism on social media, which has subsequently led to a growth in antisemitic sentiments and denialism. According to Time magazine, the information circulating on social media platforms highlights a fundamental problem in how people worldwide are consuming information related to the Hamas massacre and the subsequent Israel–Hamas war. The Michigan Daily reported that the issue is particularly pronounced on TikTok, where the short-video format makes it challenging to provide accurate and verifiable context.

On social media applications such as X, Instagram, TikTok, and 4chan, a canard spread that the October 7 attacks were an "Israeli false flag operation" to allow Israel to commit genocide in Gaza, which the Times of Israel reported echoed of Holocaust denialism. Scholar Günther Jikeli from Indiana University released a paper indicating that Holocaust denial and Holocaust distortion were increasing to instigate antisemitic mobilization in response to October 7.

People removing Kidnapped from Israel posters have claimed there are no hostages or that the kidnappings are Israeli propaganda.

Palestinian public opinion

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. The poll was conducted among 1,231 adults, with face-to-face interviews conducted with 750 individuals in the West Bank and 481 in the Gaza Strip. The interviews took place in 121 randomly chosen locations. Most respondents claim they did not come across videos on international or social media depicting Hamas members committing atrocities against Israeli civilians on that day, such as the killing of women and children in their homes. In fact, over 90% of the respondents are of the opinion that Hamas operatives were not responsible for the atrocities shown in those videos.

In addition, due to the belief in Hamas's puritanical Islamist image, many Palestinians find it hard to believe the accusations of atrocities committed by Hamas during the October 7 attacks.

Reasons for denialism

Antisemitism

According to Cyberwell, a database for online antisemitism, refusing to acknowledge the violent crimes perpetrated against Jewish individuals constitutes antisemitism. The same pattern of denial that was evident after the Holocaust is being repeated in contemporary times against Jewish people. Cyberwell identifies antisemitism as denying or misrepresenting the extent or intent of violence against Jews solely for their identity, attributing such atrocities to the Israeli State for personal gain, or accusing the Israeli State or Jewish people of fabricating documented violence against Jews is a form of antisemitism.

According to an Israel Hayom article, One reason for the denial among Hamas supporters is to portray Israel as the culprit. By absolving Hamas of guilt, they attempt to shift blame onto Israel. This has been likened to, Mahmoud Abbas remarks when he accused Jews of being responsible for the Holocaust, allegedly to undermine the moral legitimacy of the State of Israel. This tactic is said to be also used to deflect attention from Palestinian involvement in the Holocaust, including Amin al-Husseini's role in hindering Jewish emigration to pre-state Israel and his direct involvement in the Holocaust. In a similar manner, supporters of Hamas now accuse Israel of harming its own people or fabricating their victimization by the terrorist organization. This strategy aims, according to reports, to construct a narrative in which Israel is portrayed as the antagonist. This narrative allows anti-Semitic individuals worldwide to express their hatred towards Jews more comfortably. If Jews are cast as villains, it can be seen as morally justifiable to harbor animosity towards them, support Hamas, and view support for the Jews and the State of Israel as immoral.

Misinformation

Fake news, misrepresentations, and selective use of information are common in the denial narrative. Misinformation often arises when individuals with limited knowledge or a narrow perspective attempt to explain complex subjects such as politics and history. This misinformation can take various forms, from using misleading language to intentionally omitting crucial facts while emphasizing others.

The 2023 Harvard Caps Harris poll found that 51% of individuals aged 18-24 believed that the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas were justified.  The report claims that these beliefs may have been influenced by misinformation. In contrast, only 9% of voters aged 65 and older shared the same view, and this percentage decreased steadily among different age groups.

One prevalent type of misinformation can be seen in inaccurate reporting of events in the Middle East. For instance, some media outlets, including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, initially attributed the bombing of a Gaza hospital to Israel. Believing this false information, protests and riots erupted worldwide. Violent demonstrations occurred in Beirut, with the Lebanese-based terrorist group Hezbollah calling for a "Day of Rage" against Israel and the U.S. In Berlin, a group of rioters even firebombed a synagogue in response to the false claim.

Some individuals claim that videos depicting Israeli victims have been fabricated through computer-generated imagery. They also question the authenticity of videos featuring captured Hamas members confessing to acts of brutality, suspecting that these confessions may have been coerced.

Responses

Due to the denialism 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.

References

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• 2023 Hamas attack on Israel
• Denialism