(Jerusalem, October 18, 2023) – Human Rights Watch has verified four videos from the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas-led gunmen, showing three incidents of deliberate killings, and presents this analysis in a video published today. The attacks should be investigated as war crimes.
On the morning of October 7, 2023, heavily armed men breached the fences separating Israel and Gaza and entered southern Israel. At least 1,400 people were killed, many of them civilians, including children, according to Israeli officials. Human Rights Watch continues to investigate these incidents, as well as others, as war crimes.
“These attacks highlight the importance of the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s ongoing investigation,” said Ida Sawyer, crisis and conflict director at Human Rights Watch. “The ICC prosecutor has made clear he can investigate serious crimes committed both by Palestinian armed groups in Israel and by Israeli authorities in Gaza.”
Following the October 7 massacres, Israel responded with thousands of airstrikes on Gaza, killing thousands of people, including hundreds of children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Armed groups in Gaza have fired thousands of rockets into civilian areas of Israel, inflicting further deaths and casualties.
Since 2007, Israel has maintained a closure of the Gaza Strip and, for decades, has systematically repressed Palestinians.
Under international humanitarian law, or the law of armed conflict, targeting civilians is strictly prohibited, and intentionally targeting and killing civilians are war crimes. Violations and abuses by one party in a conflict do not justify violations, including targeting civilians, by another.
Read a text description of this video
On the morning of October 7, 2023, heavily-armed Hamas-led fighters breached the fences with Gaza and entered southern Israel.
They killed at least 1,400 people, many of them civilians, including children, according to the Israeli military in their homes, in bomb shelters, and on roads as they fled.
Since October 7, Israel has responded with thousands of airstrikes on Gaza, killing thousands of people, including hundreds of children, according to officials.
Armed groups in Gaza have fired thousands of rockets into civilian areas of Israel, further inflicting casualties.
Since 2007, Israel has maintained a closure on the Gaza Strip and, for decades, systematically repressed Palestinians.
Under international law, there can be no justification for targeting civilians.
Human Rights Watch investigations into grave abuses in Israel and Palestine are ongoing.
The Digital Investigations Lab at Human Rights Watch is reviewing hundreds of photos and videos showing unfolding abuses.
As part of this work, the research team has verified a series of videos dashcam and security camera footage from October 7 shared on Telegram by The South First Responders.
The videos show gunmen targeting people in the vicinity of the Supernova music festival, near Re’im in Southern Israel, and in Israeli border communities.
Human Rights Watch is investigating these attacks and others as war crimes.
The first video, taken at 7:55 am, according to the timestamp, shows seven gunmen, including several who scream in Arabic and kick a shirtless man near the Re’im Junction bus stop, a few minutes’ walk south from the festival grounds.
All four videos analyzed by researchers include coordinates or a description of the location,in addition to a time and date stamp.
The Digital Investigations Lab used this information, analyzing satellite imagery and open source data as well as the shadows in each video, to verify the location and timing.
In the first video, one gunman shouts, "guys, inside, inside here," and they appear to argue about the inside of a shelter.
Another gunman throws a device into the shelter. A man dressed in civilian clothes dashes out
The gunmen scream, take aim,and shoot at him as he tries to flee.
Seconds later, there is an explosion inside the shelter.
It is unclear from the footage if either man in the video survived.
In a second video, captured around 8:43 am, a fatally shot man in civilian clothing bleeds on the ground in front of Kibbutz Mefalsim, some 24 kilometers from the bus stop in Re’im.
A group of gunmen congregate in front of a structure close to the dead man, and one throws a device towards the structure.
15 seconds later, there is an explosion and a gunman drags out an individual shoots them at close range, and beats them with the butt of his rifle as the other gunmen look on.
In a third video, taken at 9:23 am that same day, footage shows a dusty parking lot next to the Supernova festival grounds,
A gunman shoots towards a bloodied man in civilian clothing crouching next to a car before leading him off camera.
Another man, who briefly looks up and moves his leg before lying still, is on the ground behind a vehicle.
He does not appear armed.
A gunman runs up to him, aims the rifle at his head, and shoots him at close range.
His body jolts from the impact, and then goes limp.
In a fourth video, captured by the same dashcam just over two and a half hours later, at 12:12 pm, the victim is seen lying on the ground in the same position, unmoving, indicating he may be dead.
Men with the gunmen are seen taking small items out of his pockets before looting the car, where they find a woman hiding inside.
They lead her away, off camera.
Her fate is unknown.
Intentionally targeting and killing civilians are war crimes under international humanitarian law.
Over the coming weeks and months, Human Rights Watch will share additional research findings, building out a body of evidence of grave abuses in Israel and Palestine, and calling for perpetrators to be held to account.
The three incidents Human Rights Watch analyzed were captured on dashcam and security camera footage on October 7. These videos were shared to Telegram by the South First Responders account.
Human Rights Watch verified the videos by verifying the coordinates, timestamps, and date stamps on the videos and comparing them to satellite imagery, open-source imagery, and shadows to determine the time and place the incidents took place.
Incident 1
In one verified video, dashcam footage taken at 7:55 a.m. shows seven gunmen, including several yelling in Arabic, kick a shirtless man in front of a bomb shelter connected to the Re’im Junction bus stop, a few minutes’ walk south from the location of the Supernova music festival. One gunman shouts in Arabic, “guys, inside, inside here,” and they appear to argue briefly before another gunman throws an object into the shelter. A man dressed in civilian clothes dashes out. The gunmen yell, take aim, and shoot at him from behind as he tries to flee. As they are shooting, there is an explosion inside the shelter. The video ends, and it is unclear whether either man survived. CNN visited the shelter on October 9 and reported that its interior was splattered with blood.
Incident 2
In a second verified video, security camera footage filmed at 8:43 a.m., a man in civilian clothing who appears to be fatally shot lies bleeding on the ground in front of Kibbutz Mefalsim, about 24 kilometers from the bus stop in Re’im. A group of gunmen congregate in front of a structure close to the dead man and one throws an object toward it. Within 15 seconds, there is an explosion inside the structure and a gunman drags out a person, shoots them at close range, and beats them with the butt of his rifle as the other gunmen look on.
Incident 3
In a third verified video, dashcam footage filmed at 9:23 a.m., a dusty parking lot is seen next to the Supernova festival grounds. Smoke billows in the background. A gunman shoots toward a bloodied man in civilian clothing crouching next to a car, then leads him off camera. Another man, who briefly looks up and moves his leg before lying still, is on the ground behind a vehicle. He does not appear armed. A gunman runs up to him, aims the rifle at his head, and shoots him at close range. His body jolts from the impact, and then goes limp.
In a fourth verified video posted to social media and captured by the same dashcam just over two and a half hours later at 12:12 p.m., the victim is lying on the ground in the same position, unmoving and most likely dead. Men are seen taking small items out of the victim’s pockets then looting the car, where they find a woman hiding inside. They lead her away, off camera. What happened to her is unknown.
The ICC prosecutor could investigate alleged war crimes committed during the fighting between Israel and Palestinian armed groups. On March 3, 2021, the ICC prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into alleged serious crimes committed in Palestine since June 13, 2014. Palestine became a member of the court on April 1, 2015. On October 13, Human Rights Watch called on the ICC prosecutor to urgently issue a public statement regarding the mandate of the ICC as to the current hostilities between Palestinian armed groups and Israel.
Over the coming weeks and months, Human Rights Watch will share additional research findings, building out a body of evidence of grave abuses in Israel and Palestine, and calling for those responsible to be held to account.
