Full Breakdown
FIDF Launches English-Language Digital Library of October 7 Testimonies
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Release of the Digital Archive
The New York-based Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) unveiled an English-language digital video library on a Sunday, archiving firsthand testimonies of the October 7 Hamas attack. The collection contains more than 50 recorded accounts and over 12 hours of footage from former hostages, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers and families of victims.
Background & Context: Growing Demand for Firsthand Accounts
The library debuted ahead of the third anniversary of the Oct. Since the attack, supporters in Jewish and Christian communities across the United States have sought direct insight into what occurred and its aftermath.
Data & Statistics: Scope of the Collection
- Testimonies: Over 50 individuals, including Moshe and Shira Shapira (parents of Staff Sgt. Aner Shapira), Rabbi Doron Peretz (father of Capt. Daniel Peretz), Col. Elad Edri, wounded soldier Izzy Ezagui, and former hostages Noa Argamani, Amit Soussana, Maya Regev, Almog Meir Jan, Edan Alexander, Maxim Herkin.
- Footage: More than 12 hours of video.
- Contextual figures: The source reports that Hamas massacred about 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 251 people during the Oct. 7 attack.
Official Statements & Responses
Maj. Gen. (res.) Nadav Padan, CEO of FIDF, said the library was created to meet a “surge of supporters” who want to understand the events and hear directly from those who experienced them. FIDF plans to expand the archive as additional testimonies are recorded, aiming to preserve documentation for future generations and to counter denial of the atrocities, a concern likened to Holocaust denial by the organization.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Since October 7, we have been moved by the surge of supporters across Jewish and Christian communities in the United States who want to understand more closely what happened in Israel on that devastating day and the days that followed and hear directly from the people who experienced it,” — Nadav Padan, CEO of FIDF — Nadav Padan, CEO of FIDF