Transcript [00:00] I'm tired of watching people online call [00:02] October 7 propaganda or a false flag or [00:06] something that needs to be explained [00:08] away because that's what they want. They [00:10] throw these words around behind the [00:13] screen and somehow the survivor is [00:16] expected to sit there and prove that the [00:19] worst day of their lives really [00:21] happened. Mayv [00:24] was held hostage in Gaza for 50 days [00:26] after kamas attacked Israel on October [00:29] 7. She's not a hashtag. She is not your [00:32] enemy. She's not material for somebody's [00:34] activist fantasy. She she's an Israeli [00:36] woman who survived terror and captivity. [00:40] So before anyone starts with the [00:41] excuses, the fake concern and the usual [00:44] anti-Israel talking points, take time to [00:47] actually listen to Maya. On October 7, I [00:51] I saw pure evil that I never knew [00:53] existed [music] before. Hi, my name is [00:56] Maya Reed and I was in Hamas captivity [00:59] for 50 days. On October 7th, I was at [01:02] the Nova Festival with my younger [01:04] brother Itai and some of my good [01:06] friends. Uh among them was Omar Shamtov [01:10] and we were [01:13] celebrating [music] having fun dancing. [01:15] You know, it was a party. It was a [01:16] festival that was all about love and [01:18] freedom. [01:20] And on 6:29 the the DJ shut the music [01:23] off and he [music] tells us that they [01:24] are red alerts and that there are [01:27] terrorists invaded [music] in Israel and [01:29] we need to start um running. So we ran [01:34] for about an hour, [music] [01:37] hour and a half. Um [01:40] by that time we heard a lot of gunshots [01:43] coming from everywhere. My dad called me [01:46] and he told me that there are many [01:48] terrorists in Israel. I remember myself [01:52] uh running uh in first of all, I just [01:55] have to say we're going to continue [01:56] listening to her, but [01:59] a young [02:02] civilian woman does not need to go [02:06] through something like that. Okay. Um, [02:09] this is something that I just don't [02:10] understand that people are somehow [02:12] dismissing that just because it's [02:14] Israelis. [02:15] >> Uh, in an open field, it wasn't only me. [02:17] It was me and 2,000 more people, kids [02:20] like me, tried to escape the terrorist [02:24] and just the bullets went through, you [02:27] know, uh, over my head. People fell [02:30] right next to me because they got hit. [02:33] And at some point we got a phone call uh [02:36] from an from a friend of a friend. His [02:39] name was Oinoa. [02:42] Uh or he was already outside of the [02:44] party area, but he heard that we were [02:45] still trying to escape. [music] So he [02:47] made a u u-turn and came to take us. [02:50] >> Wow. So Oino, the one that she's talking [02:54] about, he uh like she said, he was out [02:57] of danger, but he came right into danger [03:00] in order to save more people. and he is [03:02] actually not with us unfortunately. [03:06] >> I look I do not know how a decent person [03:11] watches that what we just watched and [03:13] decides to actually argue with her. That [03:16] is the part that just makes me angry [03:18] because the same people who demand that [03:20] everyone care about civilians suddenly [03:23] become experts at looking away when the [03:26] civilians are Israeli. Have have you [03:28] have you actually noticed that they want [03:30] to they want to make this abstract [03:33] because abstraction is easier. It is [03:37] easier to throw around words like occup [03:40] but what about occupation? What about [03:42] resistance or context? They love this [03:46] context word. than to actually face the [03:49] people who had to run for their lives, [03:51] the families who lost loved ones and the [03:54] hostages who disappeared into Gaza like [03:57] her. But Israel does not get to forget [04:00] them. Okay? Israelis do not get to say, [04:03] "Oh, well, the internet moved on, so we [04:05] should probably move on, too." Maya does [04:08] not get to wake up one day and decide [04:10] that it never happened. Okay? And [04:14] actually, you know, because this was [04:15] such a small country, it just affected [04:18] everybody. In a country that is around 9 [04:22] 10 million people, to have 1,200 people [04:24] dead in one day, that affects everybody. [04:28] Everybody knows someone their friend [04:30] friend of friend. [04:32] And Maya's family doesn't get to erase [04:35] what she what their daughter went [04:37] through. The other hostages and the [04:39] families of those who were murdered also [04:41] don't get to erase it. and neither [04:43] should anyone else. [04:45] October 7 was a massacre of Israeli [04:47] civilians. We all know that. Homes were [04:49] invaded. People were murdered. Young [04:51] people at a music festival were hunted [04:53] down. Families were taken hostage. Maya [04:55] was among those hostages. [04:58] That is where honesty starts. People can [05:01] debate the war. People can criticize [05:05] Israel's policies. [05:07] Israelis criticize Israel every single [05:09] day. Actually, that is what a democracy [05:11] looks like. But if your politics require [05:14] you to minimize a massacre, excuse [05:17] hostage taking or insult a woman who [05:19] survived captivity, your politics have [05:22] failed a basic test of humanity. And I'm [05:24] not going to accept the idea that [05:26] Israeli victims deserve a special [05:28] standard of proof. Nobody should have to [05:32] turn their trauma into a courtroom [05:35] performance for strangers who already [05:37] decided they do not believe them. Israel [05:39] has the right to remember it's murdered. [05:42] Israel has the right to demand the [05:44] return and protection of its people. And [05:47] thank goodness that we no longer have [05:49] hostages inside Gaza. But Israel had [05:53] every right to defend and to fight to [05:56] bring people back. So, anybody that's [05:58] calling that propaganda should actually [06:02] ask themselves why they are so offended [06:06] by Israelis telling the truth about what [06:09] was done to them. Okay. Um, [06:14] let's let's just continue to to play. [06:17] I'll jump I'll jump a little bit [06:20] forward. phone was the exact minute we [06:22] saw a pickup [music] truck uh blocking [06:24] the road and nine terrorists came off of [06:27] it and they started shooting [music] [06:28] like crazy each one with his own machine [06:30] gun. Uh I was shot in both of my legs [06:34] and [music] it my brother was also shot [06:37] and then they came to our car while my [06:39] father was on the phone. He heard [06:40] everything. I told him that [music] I [06:42] was shot, that I love him, basically [06:44] saying goodbye. And then they came to [06:46] our car, just dragged [music] us out of [06:49] the car. At that moment, I thought that [06:51] they'll just uh kill us, you know, make [06:54] sure that we're dead. Um [music] but [06:57] they decided to take us and put us on [07:01] our truck and they just drove uh to [07:04] Gaza. I remember seeing us crossing the [07:08] border and I [music] was like so shocked [07:11] the pain that I had to endured. You [07:14] know, the bullet hit my bone and it [07:15] crashed. [07:16] >> To Israelis, this is so traumatizing. I [07:19] mean, especially [07:21] going into Gaza. Look, I served in the [07:23] army. I was posted along the Gaza [07:26] border. And it's something that you you [07:28] always you always know that on the other [07:31] side of the fence there are those who [07:34] don't just want to annihilate you, they [07:35] want to watch you dying slowly. That's [07:40] that's actually the truth. Um, so just [07:43] imagine what what was going on in Maya's [07:46] head as she was [07:49] crossing the security fence from Israel [07:53] into the Gaza Strip [07:55] >> almost 3 in. [music] [07:56] So my foot was basically hanging on [07:59] strings of flash. Um, I had to hold my [08:01] foot so it won't connect and disconnect. [08:04] [music] [08:06] And um but the one thing that was very [08:10] very difficult to me was to be uh so far [08:14] away from [music] my brother. They [08:15] separated us on the first day and he was [08:18] my young he's my younger brother. Um he [08:20] came with me to the party. I felt that [08:23] [music] me as an older sister I need to [08:24] be there for him. I need to keep him [08:26] safe. And I was so far away from him [08:28] that I didn't know if he's eating, if [08:30] he's being abused, if he's being [08:32] treated. Um, I just wanted to hug him [08:35] every day and tell him that I love him, [08:36] that everything will be okay, and I [08:38] couldn't. [music] Um, so the distance [08:40] was the one thing that kept me like busy [08:43] all the time. I just I just thought [08:44] about him. I didn't care about anything [08:46] else. Just wanted to make sure that he's [08:48] fine. [08:50] >> And of course, you know, the anti-Israel [08:52] people, they would simply dismiss what [08:57] Maya is saying by saying, "Well, but [09:00] what about that?" about well this and [09:03] that and that. So it's just like I said, [09:05] how can you they're just pretending to [09:07] care about civilian lives. Um but [09:09] actually they they don't care about [09:12] civilian lives. All they care about is [09:13] actually hating Israel and using [09:15] everything around them to just continue [09:17] in hating Israel. Well, I can say people [09:20] always ask me this and every time I [09:23] think about my life before October 7th, [09:26] um I feel like, you know, I see pictures [09:29] of me, videos of me, and I I I feel like [09:31] I look at a different person, like I [09:34] don't recognize this person. Um so my [09:38] life changed uh completely. I think that [09:41] I on October 7, I I saw pure evil that I [09:46] never knew existed before. I was very [09:48] innocent. I was I very I believe that [09:50] people are good [music] everywhere and I [09:53] met this pure evil and it changed [09:55] everything that I thought about the [09:57] world. Um [09:59] so it took some time for me to believe [10:02] that there is still good in this world. [10:04] Took some time for me to have faith [10:06] again in people. Um but I can say that [10:10] now I feel [music] much stronger because [10:13] of what happened to me. I know what I [10:17] want in life. [10:18] >> That's honestly the resilience of the [10:20] Israeli people that even like after [10:23] everything that she had been through, [10:26] she is still [10:29] coming out of all of this strong, you [10:31] know, just I don't even want to to put [10:34] you in her shoes, but just try to [10:36] imagine for a second. This this is just [10:39] mind-blowing. And I think this is why [10:40] Israelis are also so successful because [10:43] we are always emerging stronger. You [10:45] know, empire after empire from uh from [10:49] uh um the emperors of of Egypt, Romans, [10:54] um all all these empires that again and [10:56] again tried to to uh destroy us from [10:59] Pharaoh to Hmon to Hamas, they all [11:02] failed. Let's jump a little bit forward. [11:07] You know, I lived this. I will live it [11:10] forever. I'm living it every day. Every [11:13] day I see the theories. Every day I feel [11:15] the pain that I felt. Every [music] day [11:17] I'm sad for the loss that I, you know, [11:20] that happened on October 7. And, you [11:22] know, today today it's 3 years and I [11:24] just I woke up, I opened, you know, [11:27] social medias and and you see a bunch of [11:29] videos, bunch of stories, bunch of phone [11:32] calls um like I had with my father. And [11:35] I don't know how can [music] people say [11:37] it didn't happen because there are so [11:38] much proof. And I think, you know, if [11:41] you really want to take side, learn [11:44] about what happened, see videos, see [11:46] proof. And it makes me upset because I I [11:50] I [music] know families who lost so [11:52] much. I know soldiers who fought and [11:55] lost. [11:55] >> Exactly. That is the answer to October [11:59] 7. Learn what happened. Watch the [12:03] footage. Read the testimonies. Look at [12:05] the evidence before you repeat a [12:07] conspiracy theory because just because [12:09] it gets likes from people who already [12:12] hate Israel, Maya is right. There is [12:16] proof. There are survival accounts. [12:20] There are families. There are recordings [12:21] from that day. I mean, they were filming [12:24] themselves. There are people who came [12:26] home from captivity with injuries and [12:27] trauma. There are families still living [12:31] with an empty chair at the table. [12:35] So when someone writes a well Zionist [12:39] propaganda under a survival survivor's [12:42] testimony, [12:44] that person is not exposing a lie. They [12:46] are refusing to face a truth that makes [12:49] their political story harder to [12:52] maintain. That is what denial is. This [12:55] is not courage. It is not critical [12:58] thinking. It's not standing up for [13:00] Palestinians. It's simply choosing to [13:03] treat Jewish and Israeli victims as [13:06] though their pain is optional. Okay. [13:09] >> Also, so much friends, parts of their [13:11] bodies, uh parts of their souls. We are, [13:14] you know, as Israel, we suffered a lot. [13:16] And this day is [13:18] very difficult day for me. and like me [13:20] doing it now it's very hard you know but [13:23] the whole week before this day I'm you [13:26] know the feelings are very hard so I [13:28] want to say to to those [music] people [13:32] um please understand that there are real [13:35] human beings beyond [music] those [13:36] stories it really happened women were [13:39] raped families were [music] slaughtered [13:42] innocent civilians kids were kidnapped [13:45] um and people just refuse to understand [13:47] [music] this they refuse to acknowledge [13:49] judge the facts and it makes me very [13:52] upset. We need to be a [13:54] >> Maya here also says that people should [13:58] be able to talk like human beings [14:00] instead of screaming at each other [14:01] basically. And she's right about that [14:03] too. But I just have to say that a real [14:07] conversation needs one thing first and [14:11] it's called honesty. You can't build a [14:14] moral argument on the idea that October [14:17] 7 needs to be heeden, softened, or [14:19] blamed on the people who were attacked. [14:22] You cannot demand empathy while telling [14:24] an Israeli hostage that her experience [14:27] is a lie. And that is what Maya is going [14:30] through after being set free. She you [14:35] would imagine that her coming back from [14:37] kamas captivity that her life would just [14:41] you know just take off from there but [14:43] now she also has to deal with people [14:45] that are denying her her captivity [14:48] basically you it's just crazy you cannot [14:51] claim to care about human rights while [14:54] becoming defensive every time kamas's [14:57] crimes are named okay and we all know [15:00] those people either online or [15:03] Unfortunately, in real life, that is [15:06] something that we cannot ignore. [15:08] >> We need to be able to have conversation [15:11] without, you know, screaming at each [15:13] other. I think it's the most important [15:14] thing. [music] [15:15] And I think, you know, uh people need to [15:18] be open-minded and come listen to the [15:21] other [music] side of the story. We need [15:23] to sit with each other and talk like [15:26] real human [music] beings, not scream, [15:28] not burn stuff. We just need to [15:30] understand that there are human beings [15:32] behind every side of the story. We need [15:35] to listen to it and talk nicely without, [15:37] [music] you know, uh, fighting. [15:40] >> This is why Israel needs people to speak [15:42] clearly. Okay? We need to defend the [15:44] truth when it is attacked online. We [15:46] need to stand with survivors when they [15:49] are mocked and we need to refuse the [15:51] idea that all these crimes that kamas [15:55] did taking Israelis and everything [15:57] everything that they did to Israelis can [15:59] be treated as a side note in somebody [16:01] else's political campaign. Okay, her [16:04] story is personal [16:06] but the lesson I want to say is bigger. [16:09] Israelis are human beings. Okay, if if [16:13] people didn't realize it yet, okay, [16:15] Israeli pain is real. Kamas's crimes are [16:17] real and no amount of posting, chanting, [16:20] or denial can rewrite October 7. Okay, [16:24] so [16:25] with that being said, I I just I just [16:27] want to ask you to share this story to [16:31] not forget and thank you for those who [16:32] are standing with Israel all all these [16:36] past very difficult three years that [16:38] really showed who our friends really [16:40] are. And we do have friends. We are not [16:42] alone. So, thank you so much for [16:43] watching. It means a lot to me as an [16:46] Israeli. And let's stay together in in [16:51] all of this. I invite you to also [16:52] subscribe to my YouTube channel. Let me [16:54] know in the comments what what do you [16:55] think about this whole uh propaganda [16:57] campaign against Israelis and and [16:59] survivors of October 7. Um, I'm going to [17:03] see you in the next video. Thank you [17:04] very much for watching.
