Israel’s National Post-Trauma Stress Disorder Council wrote a letter to the director-general of the Health Ministry requesting that it issue a warning to the public against watching the footage compiled by the IDF spokesperson of the atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists on October 7th. “We would like to make it clear that watching the video may harm the viewer, and if it is leaked or used for widespread viewing, it may be harmful to viewers, to the memory of the victims, and many people in Israeli society and the Gaza area,” wrote Professor Eyal Fruchter, head of the National PTSD Council. The footage, much of which was taken from the body cameras of the terrorists, was screened to international journalists in Israel and London as well as to the Knesset last week. The Knesset members were offered anxiety medication prior to the screening but despite many taking the medication, most MKs couldn’t bear to watch the entire video and some female MKs left the hall sobbing and shaking. Likud MK Tsega Melaku fainted and psychologists were called to the scene. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan screened the footage to an audience of ambassadors and diplomats and Israeli actress Gal Gadot organized a screening of the footage to prominent Hollywood figures in Los Angeles and New York. Over the past week, senior government and security officials voiced opposing opinions on releasing the footage to the general public. Kan reported that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu supports the publication of the footage in order to strengthen Israel’s international legitimacy in its war against Hamas. Other officials say that the family members of those seen in the video must agree for the footage to be published throughout the world. Currently, not all the families have agreed to the step and the IDF is not willing to change its policy without a written directive from the government. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)