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HARMFUL TO VIEWERS: Health Ministry Warns Against Watching Hamas Atrocities

A ZAKA volunteer overcome by the horrors he's dealing with. (ZAKA)

Israel’s National Post-Trauma Stress Disorder Council wrote a letter to the director-general of the Health Ministry requesting that it issue a warning to the public against watching the footage compiled by the IDF spokesperson of the atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists on October 7th.

“We would like to make it clear that watching the video may harm the viewer, and if it is leaked or used for widespread viewing, it may be harmful to viewers, to the memory of the victims, and many people in Israeli society and the Gaza area,” wrote Professor Eyal Fruchter, head of the National PTSD Council.

The footage, much of which was taken from the body cameras of the terrorists, was screened to international journalists in Israel and London as well as to the Knesset last week. The Knesset members were offered anxiety medication prior to the screening but despite many taking the medication, most MKs couldn’t bear to watch the entire video and some female MKs left the hall sobbing and shaking. Likud MK Tsega Melaku fainted and psychologists were called to the scene.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan screened the footage to an audience of ambassadors and diplomats and Israeli actress Gal Gadot organized a screening of the footage to prominent Hollywood figures in Los Angeles and New York.

Over the past week, senior government and security officials voiced opposing opinions on releasing the footage to the general public. Kan reported that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu supports the publication of the footage in order to strengthen Israel’s international legitimacy in its war against Hamas.

Other officials say that the family members of those seen in the video must agree for the footage to be published throughout the world. Currently, not all the families have agreed to the step and the IDF is not willing to change its policy without a written directive from the government.

The letter from the National PTSD Council.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)



7 Responses

  1. As has nearly every Rov, Rosh Yeshivah, Mechanech(es), and Health-Care professional. It seems the only exception has been YWN’s “Rabbinical Board.” Maybe now, that the Israeli Misrad HaBriyut has “paskened” you all will reconsider your decision.

  2. Due to the wicked indifference & widespread support in this perverted world 🌎 for Chamas:- Hence notwithstanding all the good points made in this article:- having this perverted world exposed to the reality that Chamas must be expunged and that all 240 hostages MUST be released immediately, outweighs all else, and hence keep showing these gruesome YouTubes.

  3. Don’t destroy yourself, no gadol would ever allow such a thing to be viewed and certainly not published!!

    You will need hundreds and thousands of psychologists and psychiatrists to deal with the aftermath

  4. I learned back during the VN war not to spend time on the graphic news that was broadcast. I choose not retraumatize myself at this point in my life.

  5. The other point to consider is that publicizing these scenes could be counter productive – giving new ideas to copycat anti-Semites and generally pushing the red line in terms of sadistic limits.
    Personally I think this is a serious issue.

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