'Just about the worst thing I've ever seen': Canadian journalist reacts to footage of Hamas' October 7 massacre

On Monday, Canadian journalist Matt Gurney was one of a select few invited to the Israeli consulate in Toronto to receive a briefing on the situation in the Jewish state one month out from the October 7 massacre carried out by Hamas.

Those in attendance were shown a 42-minute film containing footage of the attack from the vantage point of not only Israelis, but members of the Iranian-backed Palestinian terrorist organization itself, which Gurney described as "just about the worst thing I have ever seen."

In a piece for The Line, Gurney explained that while the actions depicted in the film were horrific, what really stood out to him were "the unsettlingly normal details depicting what looked like a pretty normal day," which perfectly represented the "banality of evil," and the truly surprising nature of the massacre.

The film was full, he said, of footage depicting Israelis in vulnerable situations, completely unwarned and unprepared for the impending onslaught of violence. At one point, two young boys are shown talking with and trying to render aid to one another after seeing their father get murdered by terrorists, one of whom hangs out in their kitchen and asks if they want something to eat.

"That is bravery. That is courage," Gurney wrote. "Not showing up to watch a video. But being a kid, standing there in your underwear, keeping your wits about you just moments after your dad is murdered before your eyes."

Also notable was the fact that far from being solemn while carrying out the attacks, Hamas terrorists appeared to be finding pleasure in killing Jews.

"Whooping cheers, selfies with the boys (carefully framed to put dead or captured Jews in the background), huge grins," Gurney wrote. "The attacks were efficient, but not joyless. The Hamas terrorists are thrilled to be doing what they're doing."

Among those who reacted to Gurney's article was Meghan Murphy, who described the descriptions as "horrific and painful beyond belief." 

She went on to slam those who continue to dismiss, or even celebrate, the atrocities carried out by Hamas, saying anyone who does so is "someone I cannot understand, cannot respect, and am disturbed to share a planet with."

"You turned your humanity over to politics, to activism, to chants, to *violence* — the politically righteous kind of violence, of course. The rape and murder of the 'correct' people," Murphy added. "You are lost and now you, too, are dangerous."