Survivors Recount Minute-by-Minute Horror of October 7 Hamas Massacre on 1,000-Day Memorial

On the 1,000th day since the October 7 Hamas massacre, the October Council released an eight-minute video in collaboration with the "Testimony 710" initiative, featuring survivors’ personal accounts to reconstruct the harrowing morning that changed Israel. The video, shared immediately after the national moment of silence at 10:01 a.m. on Thursday, presents minute-by-minute testimonies from survivors describing the terror, chaos, and loss they endured.

Survivors from various communities including Sderot, Nir Yitzhak, Nova, Magen, and Kfar Aza recount hearing sirens, gunfire, and explosions as over 40 militants breached fences and attacked their homes. They describe desperate attempts to seek shelter in fortified rooms, the sound of militants breaking in, and the tragic loss of family members. One survivor recalled a son returning home saying, "Mom, Dad was killed," while others spoke of the overwhelming absence of military support and the fear of being left alone.

The testimonies also detail the brutal violence witnessed, including militants using hammers and grenades inside shelters, and the emotional trauma of holding dying loved ones. Some survivors described being rescued by the Givati Brigade and the long, fearful evacuation marches through burning kibbutzim. The video aims to transform the symbolic commemoration into a shared, living memory, emphasizing that the events of October 7 remain a present reality for families and communities.

The October Council stressed that this video is not merely archival footage but a living testimony from those who saw, heard, fled, fought, and survived. They called on all Israeli citizens to pause, listen, and remember that the massacre’s story is a continuing responsibility to seek answers and ensure the memory does not fade.