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Expert on Oct. 7 Terrorist Attack Notes the One Positive Outcome of the Hamas Massacre
Some of the thousands of people who gathered in New York City’s Central Park on Oct. 6, 2024, to mark the one year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack and to demand the return of the hostages. Photo: Hostages and Families Forum.
Warning: The following news story contains some details of the atrocities committed during Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel that readers may find upsetting.
An author, journalist, and former Israeli government spokesperson who extensively investigated the deadly Hamas terrorist attack that took place on Oct. 7 of last year told The Algemeiner that he believes the only “positive” outcome of the massacre across southern Israel is that it made Jews worldwide and the nation of Israel more united.
“I’m not sure if people who don’t live in Israel realize how divided the people of Israel were before Oct. 7,” said Alon Penzel, referring to a time when mass anti-government protests were rampant across Israel for several months. “It felt like we were unable to live together having very different ideological thoughts … And right after Oct. 7, and since Oct. 7, there are no people in the world who are more united than the Jewish and Israeli people.”
“I don’t think there has been any other nation in history that has come together so much to volunteer and help its brothers and sisters,” he added. “And for me, I see [Hamas] have not managed to eliminate and exterminate the Jewish spirit, as they tried to do on Oct. 7 … We are overcoming. We are prevailing … It was a national tragedy, but for each and every one of us — either an Israeli citizen or a Jewish person around the world — it felt like an individual tragedy; a personal tragedy. These faces have become our brothers and sisters.”
The grandson of a Holocaust survivor, Penzel formerly served as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson for the foreign press in the Unit for Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). His friend, schoolmate and Kiryat Bialik neighbor Matan Angrest, was abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on Oct. 7 and is one of the 101 hostages still held captive in the Gaza Strip a year later.
In June, Penzel published the book “Testimonies Without Boundaries: Israel: October 7th 2023,” which is an uncensored, unfiltered, and verified collection of first-hand testimonies regarding the atrocities that happened last Oct. 7. Penzel spoke to survivors of the attack – including children and elderly, and women and men who faced sexual abuse – volunteers of the Israeli emergency response organization ZAKA, the head of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, survivors of the Nova music festival, and many others. The book is dedicated to the victims of Oct. 7 and calls for the immediate release of the remaining hostages taken captive that day.
Among the graphic and difficult-to-read testimonies included in the book, rescue and recovery forces talked to Penzel about finding a completely naked couple tied to a mattress with a metal wire that was inserted into their stomachs. Penzel also documented accounts about children who were murdered using knives and hammers, and civilians who were crucified. “I had to ask difficult, sometimes insensitive questions to get to the bottom of what happened,” Penzel told The Algemeiner. “The conversations might have been challenging, and those interactions are described very genuinely in the book.”
The 50-60 testimonies in the book have all been completely verified by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, as well as women’s organizations that were assigned on behalf of Israel to investigate sexual abuse that took place on Oct. 7. Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also distributed the book worldwide to embassies and world leaders.
Penzel told The Algemeiner that the main purpose of his book is to commemorate the testimonies, the families of the victims, the heroes and the survivors of Oct. 7. “These testimonies need to be out, as challenging as they are, and the book is challenging to read, there is no question,” he said. “But if we say ‘this is too hard for us [to read],’ what would those who went through the atrocities say?”
“This is our duty, for the families of the victims and the victims themselves, to make sure that what happened to them is not forgotten and denied,” he added. “I felt the duty to commemorate the atrocities that occurred.”
The author also included only raw, unedited testimonies in his book because he anticipated global denial about the Hamas terrorist attack. “It’s exactly what we experienced with the Holocaust — a worldwide denial,” he said. “And I believe the only way to combat it is with the uncensored, unfiltered testimonies.”
“The purpose from the very beginning was to fight the worldwide denial that I foresaw that we would face very quickly, and unfortunately we are,” he noted. “If people are trying to contradict and refute what we are saying about the atrocities that occurred to us, what’s going to happen 50 years from now if we don’t have all the testimonies, and proofs, and evidence, and the very clear elaborate and specific details of what happened? How are we going to be able to commemorate those brothers and sisters of ours? I think the families of the victims also want the world to know for generations to come what happened to their loved ones.”
Reflecting one year later on the atrocities that took place on Oct. 7, 2023, Penzel said that while Hamas-led terrorists carried out the deadliest attack against the Jewish people in a single day since the Holocaust, they were not able to break the Jewish spirit.
“I feel that although [the terrorists] did manage to infiltrate Israel and murder us and take many of us hostage, the fact that we are prevailing with our spirit is what matters,” he said. “The fact that we able to commemorate our loved ones means that we are prevailing and that we are trying to overcome, while remembering our brothers and sisters who were butchered and slaughtered on Oct. 7.”
Penzel also noted that the terrorist attack on Oct. 7 helped Israeli citizens understand “that unity is more important than any political disagreement.”
“It’s proven. We have come together. We have assisted each other,” he said. “People from all around the world; Jews from all around the world have come to Israel to volunteer. Israelis are volunteering, helping each other, no matter from where they are on the political map, no matter where they have come from ideologically.”
“Obviously I wish [Oct. 7] never happened, but it gave us a wake up call of how important unity is among the people of Israel.”
The post Expert on Oct. 7 Terrorist Attack Notes the One Positive Outcome of the Hamas Massacre first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Brooklyn Nets Select Israeli Basketball Players Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf in NBA Draft
The opening tip between the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards, at Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, Dec. 13, 2020. Photo: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
In a landmark night for Israeli basketball, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf were selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets, marking the first time two Israeli players have been drafted in the same year.
Saraf, a 19-year-old guard known for his explosive athleticism and creative playmaking, was taken with the 26th pick. A standout with Maccabi Rishon LeZion and a rising star on Israel’s youth national teams, Saraf gained international attention with his electrifying scoring and commanding court presence.
With the 27th pick, the Nets selected 7-foot center Danny Wolf out of the University of Michigan. Wolf, who holds dual US-Israeli citizenship and represented Israel at the U-20 level, brings a versatile skill set, including sharp passing, perimeter shooting, and a strong feel for the game. After his name was called, Wolf grew emotional in an on-air interview, crediting his family for helping him reach the moment.
“I have the two greatest brothers in the world; I have an unbelievable sister who I love,” Wolf said. “They all helped me get to where I am today, and they’re going to help me get to where I am going to go in this league.”
The historic double-pick adds to the growing wave of Israeli presence on the NBA stage, led by Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who just completed a breakout 2024–25 season. After being traded to Portland last summer, Avdija thrived as a starter, averaging 16.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. In March alone, he posted 23.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, including two triple-doubles.
“I don’t think I’ve played like this before … I knew I had it in me. But I’m not really thinking about it. I’m just playing. I’m just free,” Avdija told reporters in March
With Saraf and Wolf joining Avdija, Israel’s basketball pipeline has reached unprecedented visibility. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the moment “a national celebration for sports and youth,” and Israeli sports commentators widely hailed the night as “historic.”
Both Saraf and Wolf are expected to suit up for the Nets’ Summer League team in July. As the two rookies begin their NBA journey, they join a growing generation of Israeli athletes proving that their game belongs on basketball’s biggest stage.
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Iran Denies Any Meeting With US Next Week, Foreign Minister Says
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS
Iran currently has no plan to meet with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday in an interview on state TV, contradicting US President Donald Trump’s statement that Washington planned to have talks with Iran next week.
The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran was assessing whether talks with the US were in its interest, following five previous rounds of negotiations that were cut short by Israel and the US attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The US and Israel said the strikes were meant to curb Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons, while Iran says its nuclear program is solely geared toward civilian use.
Araqchi said the damages to nuclear sites “were not little” and that relevant authorities were figuring out the new realities of Iran’s nuclear program, which he said would inform Iran’s future diplomatic stance.
The post Iran Denies Any Meeting With US Next Week, Foreign Minister Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Ireland Becomes First European Nation to Advance Ban on Trade With Israeli Settlements
A pro-Hamas demonstration in Ireland led by nationalist party Sinn Fein. Photo: Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne
Ireland has become the first European nation to push forward legislation banning trade with Israeli communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — an effort officials say is meant “to address the horrifying situation” in the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday, Irish Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Simon Harris announced that the legislation has already been approved by the government and will now move to the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade for pre-legislative scrutiny.
“Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza,” Harris said during a press conference.
The Irish diplomat also told reporters he hopes the “real benefit” of the legislation will be to encourage other countries to follow suit, “because it is important that every country uses every lever at its disposal.”
Today Ireland becomes the first country in Europe to bring forward legislation to ban trade with the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza.
Every country must pull every lever at its disposal. pic.twitter.com/Z4RTjqntEY— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) June 24, 2025
Joining a growing number of EU member states aiming to curb Israel’s defensive campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Ireland’s decision comes after a 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal.
The ICJ ruled that third countries must avoid trade or investment that supports “the illegal situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
Once implemented, the law will criminalize the importation of goods from Israeli settlements into Ireland, empowering customs officials to inspect, seize, and confiscate any such shipments.
“The situation in Palestine remains a matter of deep public concern,” Harris said. “I have made it consistently clear that this government will use all levers at its disposal to address the horrifying situation on the ground and to contribute to long-term efforts to achieve a sustainable peace on the basis of the two-state solution.”
“Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal and threaten the viability of the two-state solution,” the Irish diplomat continued. “This is the longstanding position of the European Union and our international partners. Furthermore, this is the clear position under international law.”
Harris also urged the EU to comply with the ICJ’s ruling by taking a more decisive and “adequate response” regarding imports from Israeli settlements.
“This is an issue that I will continue to press at EU level, and I reiterated my call for concrete proposals from the European Commission at the Foreign Affairs Council this week,” he said.
Last week, Ireland and eight other EU member states — Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden — called on the European Commission to draft proposals for how EU countries can halt trade and imports with Israeli settlements, in line with obligations set out by the ICJ.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the latest move by European countries, calling it “shameful” and a misguided attempt to undermine Israel while it faces “existential” threats from Iran and its proxies, including Hamas.
“It is regrettable that even when Israel is fighting an existential threat which is in Europe’s vital interest — there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession,” the top Israeli diplomat said in a post on X.
It is regrettable that even when Israel fighting an existential threat which is in Europe vital interest – there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession.
Shameful! https://t.co/lxm9qm8sM1— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) June 19, 2025
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