Hamas's massacre of families during Oct 7 is exposed as 'kinocide' in a report.

On October 7, 2023, the Idan family of Kibbutz Nahal Oz was devastated when Hamas terrorists infiltrated their home. As the family tried to seek refuge in their safe room, the terrorists brutally murdered their eldest daughter, Maayan, in front of her parents and siblings. The terrorists then abducted the father, Tzachi. The gruesome scene was broadcast live on social media, forcing the nation to witness the family's agonizing last moments.

In Kibbutz Holit, Rotem Matias, 16, was concealed beneath his mother's corpse, sending his sisters a devastating message: "Mom and Dad are deceased. My apologies."

In Kfar Aza, Roee Idan was shot dead while holding his 3-year-old daughter, Abigail, as his older children watched in horror. Their mother, Smadar, was also killed before their eyes. Afterward, the children hid in a closet, trapped with their mother’s body, unsure of their younger sister's fate, who was later abducted into Gaza.

A new report, co-authored by Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, Dr. Michal Gilad, and Dr. Ilya Rudyak, has been released, detailing a number of stories documenting the use of "kinocide" to describe the systematic targeting and destruction of family units during an attack. This atrocity, which goes beyond typical warfare, is an unprecedented occurrence.

"Dr. Elkayam-Levy described the crime as "a deliberate attempt by perpetrators to destroy the very foundation of human society: the family, leaving victims without a voice.""

"Dr. Elkayam-Levy stated that the most difficult crimes to witness were those that targeted families. While Hamas perpetrators celebrated their violence, chanting religious slogans and broadcasting their actions on social media, the terror was not limited to the immediate victims-it was amplified globally."

According to Merav Israeli-Amarant, CEO of the Civil Commission, social media played a vital role in spreading terror and inspiring similar acts of violence. She referred to this technique as the "terror filter," a term coined by legal scholar Tehila Schwartz Altshuler, explaining how the broadcasts were designed to radicalize and incite other terrorists.

Dr. Elkayam-Levy and her team discovered that similar tactics have been used in conflicts worldwide, including Argentina, Iraq, Syria, Sierra Leone, and Myanmar. Survivors of kinocide, including Yazidis, have shared their experiences, and the pain is universal. This has occurred before, but it never had a name, according to Dr. Elkayam-Levy.

The commission, in collaboration with the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights, worked to identify patterns of abuse and establish kinocide as a distinct crime. A new report, released after a year of research, includes interviews with survivors, site visits, and an extensive review of evidence. The goal is to bring kinocide into international legal discourse and advocate for its urgent recognition as a distinct crime.

Professor Irwin Cotler, a former Minister of Justice of Canada and the International Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights, stated that remaining silent in the face of evil is not neutrality, but rather complicity. Even worse, there has been denial, justification, and glorification of these heinous acts, highlighting the urgent need to act decisively against such crimes. The dangers of antisemitism are not only an ancient and deadly hatred, but also a harbinger of global evil, as seen in the events of October 7.

""An international coalition is necessary to tackle the systematic targeting of families, as international law has fallen short in safeguarding the survivors of October 7, and the current legal frameworks do not sufficiently protect families in such attacks," Elkayam-Levy stated."

Although the report, backed by international law experts and human rights activists globally, emphasizes the immediate need for legal and social recognition of kinocide, Elkayam-Levy expressed her apprehension about the international community's reaction.

She stated, "We live in a time of darkness when international law is being used against us (Israelis) in terrifying ways. As an international human rights scholar, I never imagined that we would face such abuse. It is truly frightening."