Celebrations as Israelis Were Taken Into Gaza
The celebrations accompanied an attack in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 were abducted, according to Israeli official accounts. The victims included civilians and security personnel. Hamas led the assault, with Palestinian Islamic Jihad also participating; both are terrorist organizations.
Reuters published footage on October 7, 2023, of people celebrating in Gaza beside vehicles described as Israeli military vehicles. Associated Press photography also documented a captured Israeli military vehicle in Gaza City. These records establish particular public gatherings, without identifying everyone present or measuring how widely their reactions were shared.
Other footage connected the scenes directly to Israeli victims. Reporting documented the pickup carrying the body of Shani Louk into Gaza. In June 2024, Reuters reported on video released with family authorization showing Hersh Goldberg Polin, Eliya Cohen and Or Levy being transported toward captivity while their captors cheered. That is evidence of the captors’ conduct, rather than a separate survey of civilian opinion.
The Video Supplied to IsraelNews.io
A 24 second clip supplied to IsraelNews.io, identified by its supplier as Gaza on October 7, 2023, shows a crowd around a car, raised arms and a person bowing to the road.
https://x.com/AntSpeaks/status/2107779886496489900
https://x.com/israelnewspulse/status/1731510326451933302
How Support Changed in Later Surveys
Weeks after the attack, the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research asked Palestinians a direct question: whether Hamas had been right to launch it. In the first wartime survey, carried out from November 22 to December 2, 2023, 72% said it had. In the West Bank the figure reached 82%. In Gaza, where the war was being fought, it was 57%.
By September 2024, support in Gaza had fallen to 39%, and to 54% overall. It slipped again in May 2025, to 37% in Gaza and 50% overall, then climbed back in October 2025 to 44% in Gaza and 53% overall, with the West Bank steady at 59%. Two years after the massacre, more than half of those asked still called the decision correct.
Approval of a Decision Is a Specific Measure
The question did not ask whether respondents approved each killing or abduction. It also differed from questions about support for Hamas as a political organization. In September 2024, 57% of Gaza respondents judged the decision incorrect, demonstrating that opposition existed alongside support.
The pollster separately recorded widespread denial of atrocities against Israeli civilians. That matters when interpreting approval of the attack: respondents were not necessarily answering from a shared, accurate account of what happened.
