Both the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit and the Attorney-General’s Office denied claims by ministers on Monday that the latter had prevented international screenings of a film compilation of Hamas atrocities on October 7, 2023, due to legal issues.
The issue arose during a government meeting on Monday designated as a “special bereavement meeting” commemorating a year since the massacre, during which the ministers watched the film.
The film, which is officially called Bearing Witness to the October 7th Massacre, is a compilation by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit of raw footage from the Hamas massacre. It includes footage captured from body cameras worn by Hamas members on October 7 and contains scenes of extreme violence.
According to a number of reports, an argument broke out during the meeting after ministers wondered why the film had not been made available to audiences worldwide. Ministers then began to criticize the attorney-general after claiming that the IDF Spokesperson had cited “legal issues” and had directed blame at the attorney-general’s office. Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara denied the claims and reportedly left the meeting in protest.
Denying claims
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said it had never made such a claim and that the comments at the government meeting were “taken out of context.”
The IDF Spokesperson also said that the claim itself was false and that “there is no legal directive prohibiting the screening of the film.” It was added that the film has been continuously screened around the world to politicians, ambassadors, media networks, and influencers.
“During the government meeting, a false argument was made that the Attorney-General’s Office allegedly prevented and is preventing international publication of footage of the atrocities from October 7. The claim is false,” the A-G’s office said in a statement.
According to sources, the responsibility and decisions regarding international screenings of the film were not the IDF’s but rather the National Public Diplomacy Directorate’s, which is a part of the Prime Minister’s Office.
A number of ministers in recent months accused Baharav-Miara of intentionally attempting to undermine the government by ruling that many of its decisions were “not legally viable.” None of the ministers provided proof of this claim.
The accusations were accompanied by increasing occurrences where the government as a whole, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and specific ministers, ignored the A-G’s legal opinions, contrary to numerous High Court rulings, including as late as June 2024, that the opinions were legally binding.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.