Trump to watch October 7 film for first time ahead of Netanyahu visit: report

According to Ynet, the viewing came as an initiative by Steve Witkoff, US Special Envoy to the Middle East, who watched the film during his visit to Israel last week. He reportedly said after viewing the film that Trump "must watch it himself" to see the massacre with his own eyes. Sources familiar with the details said that Witkoff had been left "shocked and appalled" by the film.

The Jerusalem Post reported that an appeal was made shortly after Witkoff’s viewing to the Israeli Embassy in DC and the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit to shorten the film to show to Trump. Trump is set to watch around 20 to 30 minutes of the 47-minute film, and will be shown the film by his aides.

He is expected to watch the film on Monday or Tuesday, likely before his meeting with Netanyahu. The film was first screened for foreign journalists in Israel just weeks after the massacre, in which over 1,200 people were killed and over 200 taken hostage. The film, of which most of the footage came from Hamas terrorists, depicts the rape, executions, and murder of Jews on October 7.

A Canadian journalist who viewed the film in late 2023 described it as "just about the worst thing I have ever seen," with Matt Gurney saying it depicted the "banality of evil."

In the week ahead of Trump taking office, he announced that a deal had been reached between Israel and Hamas after over a year. "We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East," Trump said at the time. Netanyahu thanked Trump for his assistance in securing the release of the remaining hostages and for "helping Israel bring an end to the suffering of dozens of hostages and their families."