The Lie

• The majority of Gazans were not involved in the October 7 massacre of Israeli civilians and are innocent victims of an Israeli genocide that followed October 7.

The Truth

• The claim of genocide is contradicted by two facts: Palestinian civilians actively participated in the October 7 massacre of Israeli civilians, and Palestinians broadly support both the attacks and Hamas’s continued war against Israel.

Background

• In December 2025, Hamas released a propaganda document titled “Our Narrative.” (Hamas)
• The pamphlet promotes the claim that Palestinians are passive, uninvolved civilians who are the victims of a genocide by Israel.
• Hamas describes Palestinians as a “dignified people” who merely “seek to reclaim their freedom and rights” and who embody “the finest of humanity’s qualities.”

Truth Explained:

• On October 7, 2023, hundreds of Palestinian civilians crossed into Israel from Gaza through the breached security fence. They participated in killings, looting and destruction of property, abductions, and other serious abuses. (Amnesty International)
• A UN report similarly confirmed that Gazan civilians participated in attacks and abductions targeting Israeli civilians. (UN)
• Video evidence from October 7 shows tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians cheering Hamas terrorists in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria. They distributed candies, danced and chanted prayers. (Sky News), (Times of Israel), (Inquirer), (Times of India)
• One widely circulated video shows hundreds of Gazan civilians abusing the unclothed body of Shani Louk, a 22-year-old Israeli-German woman, as it was paraded through Gaza’s streets. (X)
• Far from aiding the 251 Israeli hostages taken on October 7, Gazan civilians took part in their captivity. Investigations reveal that ordinary Gazans—including teachers and doctors—helped imprison the hostages. (Jerusalem Post)
• Hundreds of teachers in Gaza have been documented promoting hatred and violence against Jews in schools. After October 7, many openly glorified the massacre. (UN Watch)
• In its pamphlet, Hamas states that the October 7 massacre of Israeli civilians “was met with unprecedented popular Palestinian support.” (Hamas)
• Roughly 90% of Palestinians celebrated the slaughter of 1,200 Jews on October 7, including dancing on rooftops and handing out sweets to children. (DRM News)
• Man-on-the-street interviews capture Gazan civilians openly describing Israel’s retaliation as a “sacrifice worth paying” for the mass slaughter of Jews. (Sky News Australia), (The Free Press)
• Hamas’s own internal figures claim that 72% of Palestinians supported the October 7 attack, and 69% of Palestinians continue to support Hamas. (Hamas)
• If elections were held today, 68% of Palestinians would vote for Hamas. (Hamas)
• Palestinians overwhelmingly voted for Hamas in 2006, knowing that its founding charter explicitly rejects peace negotiations and calls for jihad against Jews. (Yale Law School)
• 77% of Palestinians reject disarming Hamas even to end the war—hardly the behavior of a population facing genocide. (Hamas)

Quotes:

• “Anyone can find this online: a crowd of ordinary Gazans—it wasn’t Hamas—ordinary Gazans spitting on her body, hitting her body, mutilating her body further as it went down the street. Does that strike you as a placid population of peacenik types who are just desperately waiting for a two-state solution?” — Douglas Murray
• “When [Hamas] went back to Gaza, they were celebrated as heroes. Gazans threw rave parties for these terrorists … There’s a much deeper cancer and a rot happening in Gaza than just Hamas.” — Charlie Kirk

Takeaway:

The claim that Palestinians are merely uninvolved civilians and victims of genocide is contradicted by Hamas’s own admissions, public opinion data, independent investigations by international organizations, and extensive video documentation from October 7th. Civilian participation and widespread public support for Hamas and its actions undermine the narrative of collective innocence.