On the one year anniversary of the October 7 massacre, the British TV Channel 4 aired "One day in October", a documentary which presents the story of some of those who survived the carnage.
The documentary was directed by Dan Reed (from 'Leave Neverland'), and shows footage recorded by security cameras in Kibbutz Be'eri as well as other footage which was recorded on cellphones.
9-year-old Emily Hand, the girl who was kidnapped from her friend's house and held in Gaza for 50 days (and whose father Thomas was erroneously told that she was dead), also tells her stroy.
The Guardian's critic, Stuart Jeffries, initially wrote that the interviews in the film were "heartbreaking" and that the footage was "disturbing", rating it four stars.
Later, Jeffries added that "If you want to understand why Israel is doing what it is doing in Gaza and Lebanon, this film may help. It clearly demonstrates that the IDF and the Mossad were caught napping on October 7 of last year, when those they were meant to protect were massacred."
But then he goes on to make these outrageous statements: "If you want to understand why Hamas murdered civilians, 'One day in October' will not help. It does a good job of demonizing Gazans, first as testosterone-filled Hamas killers, then as shameless civilian looters, when they empty the kibbutz while corpses lie in the street, and those who are alive hide in terror."
He also said that while he was watching the film, he was reminded of the film "Zulu" from 2013, "with masses of nameless African warriors, in front of British heroes with whom we were encouraged to identify. Television and film narratives often act as machines to alienate anyone who is 'other' in this way. At its worst, 'One Day in October', albeit unwittingly, follows the same pattern."
Many were shocked by his review, and filled the web with comments against Jeffries. Jewish journalist Nicole Lampert wrote, "When a TV critic asks why Hamas and the Gazans who entered Israel to kill and loot, look like the bad guys in a documentary - it's not a funny joke."
Writer and journalist David Collier, editor of the Jewish Chronicle, also wrote, "Even for the Guardian, [who has been] spreading anti-Semitism for decades, criticizing the Kibbutz Be'eri horror film is sickening. This rag can't fail fast enough."
Channel 12 contributed to this review.
