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Testimonies Without Boundaries: Israel: October 7th 2023
Read the Testimonies of First Responders.
On the morning of October 7th, 2023, the terrorist organization Hamas launched a surprise attack against the State of Israel. This book contains exclusive, shocking and unimaginable testimonies of the horrors that were part of the brutal massacre, during which babies, toddlers, children, pregnant women and elderly were raped, tortured, burned, cut, slashed, strangled, shot and stabbed. In conversations, testimonies and rare documentations from the field, volunteers of the ZAKA organization, the head of the Institute of Forensic Medicine and survivors of the Nova festival reveal for the first time the greatest national disaster in the history of the State of Israel in all its various aspects, while providing a historical commemoration for the great loss, and on the other hand – to the heroism of the people of Israel.
Alon Penzel (23) is an Israeli spokesperson, author, journalist, social activist and TV anchor. He served in the military as the spokesperson for the foreign press, in the Unit for Coordination of Government Activities in the territories (COGAT), and nowadays, he represents the State of Israel in the international arena at global-worldwide conferences, events, and lectures. In his youth, Alon participated in "Model UN" and even won the prestigious "Ramon Award" for excellence and leadership after publishing his first book at the age of sixteen. As a specialist in international relations and diplomacy, Alon completed a negotiation course on behalf of Harvard University in the United States and is currently studying political science at the University of Haifa.
Warning! This book contains graphic and difficult-to-read descriptions of the horrific atrocities that were committed, and its content is not suitable for children under the age of fourteen.Contents
IntroductionChapter 1 - Testimonies from ZAKA VolunteersChapter 2 - Evidence from the "Forensic Medicine Institute”Chapter 3 - Testimonies from Nova SurvivorsChapter 4 - It's Enough To Be HumanChapter 5 - The Statement of Israel's State President, Mr. Isaac Herzog
On the morning of October 7th, 2023, the terrorist organization Hamas launched a surprise attack against the State of Israel. This book contains exclusive, shocking and unimaginable testimonies of the horrors that were part of the brutal massacre, during which babies, toddlers, children, pregnant women and elderly were raped, tortured, burned, cut, slashed, strangled, shot and stabbed. In conversations, testimonies and rare documentations from the field, volunteers of the ZAKA organization, the head of the Institute of Forensic Medicine and survivors of the Nova festival reveal for the first time the greatest national disaster in the history of the State of Israel in all its various aspects, while providing a historical commemoration for the great loss, and on the other hand – to the heroism of the people of Israel.
Alon Penzel (23) is an Israeli spokesperson, author, journalist, social activist and TV anchor. He served in the military as the spokesperson for the foreign press, in the Unit for Coordination of Government Activities in the territories (COGAT), and nowadays, he represents the State of Israel in the international arena at global-worldwide conferences, events, and lectures. In his youth, Alon participated in "Model UN" and even won the prestigious "Ramon Award" for excellence and leadership after publishing his first book at the age of sixteen. As a specialist in international relations and diplomacy, Alon completed a negotiation course on behalf of Harvard University in the United States and is currently studying political science at the University of Haifa.
Warning! This book contains graphic and difficult-to-read descriptions of the horrific atrocities that were committed, and its content is not suitable for children under the age of fourteen.Contents
IntroductionChapter 1 - Testimonies from ZAKA VolunteersChapter 2 - Evidence from the "Forensic Medicine Institute”Chapter 3 - Testimonies from Nova SurvivorsChapter 4 - It's Enough To Be HumanChapter 5 - The Statement of Israel's State President, Mr. Isaac Herzog
- GenresIsrael
246 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 9, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 29, 2024
Although I knew in essence all of the horrible things that happened—from photographic and video evidence—as a result of the October 7th terrorist attack, Alon Penzel’s “Testimonies Without Boundaries. Israel: October 7th, 2023,” revealed so much more.
Comprised of five chapters, this book is filled with testimonies from Nova survivors, ZAKA volunteers (an Israeli emergency response organization), and forensic evidence provided by medical personnel. Since that fateful day, people have been rushing to document everything that happened.
It’s unfortunate that people today think that they can watch a documentary or read a book (or two) and afterwards become an “expert” on this conflict. But I know better. After earning a PhD, I personally know that it can take YEARS of study to earn expertise in a single subject, let alone an entire conflict that spans decades and several continents. And after earning my PhD, I am fully aware of how to critically evaluate various sources—including primary, secondary, and tertiary sources, including mass-produced books and documentaries. Unfortunately, not everyone with a PhD has grasped the ability to do likewise.
People can argue all they want about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and about what happened before October 7th—and I’m sure that they will do that. But only a fool will deny the rapes and murders that occurred on that day; there is simply too much documented evidence. This book adds to that growing corpus of study.
One survivor of the Nova Festival, Yaniv Ben Haim, particularly captured my attention when he stated that he,
“…saw men who had their dicks cut off and put in their mouths.”
When my maternal grandfather was still alive, he talked about the time that he was in North Africa, just before he landed on Omaha Beach during D-Day. In one of those stories, he told me how the U.S. Army had found the body of a fellow solider who had been murdered by the local Arabs, and how they cut off the soldier’s penis and stuffed it into his mouth.
The book discusses how Israelis, before the atrocities, viewed the local terrorist threat. Prior to the attack, the people of Gaza had their own de-facto country run by Hamas after Israel completely depopulated the Gaza Strip in 2005. Even though many like to refer to Gaza as an “open air prison,” the fact is that Hamas controlled the Rafah Crossing and Palestinians could leave Gaza through Egypt and could, as many already did, apply for passes to work in Israel. Was it ideal? Certainly not. Hamas is a terrorist organization, and any country that is being administered by terrorists is going to fail, and particularly so, given that Hamas’ charter details the destruction of Israel as a nation and the murder of all of its’ inhabitants. So, when the survivors initially heard shooting and the sound of rockets, they didn’t automatically flee because, as the interviews attest, people simply thought that Hamas and the Israeli government was having another rocket spat. While the local kibbutz residents did hunker down in safe rooms, the Nova Festival attendants, many of whom were inebriated, didn’t.
Penzel details that while Hamas was the primary mover of the violence, many local Gazans penetrated the interior of Israel. Penzel reveals that generally, most of the local Gazan civilians were unarmed, but still constituted a threat via assault, kidnapping, and through onsite collaboration with Hamas forces. The author makes sure that readers understand that the Hamas consumption of antisemitic content—including the reading of Hitlers “Mein Kampf”—is partly to blame. Indeed, I’ve seen numerous clips from Gazan television where young children are taught to adhere to antisemitic violence.
The author probes the interviewees deeply. Although Penzel is not a professional social historian, his efforts at preserving memory via testimony is admirable. This book lays out not just the personal thoughts of Hamas’ victims, but also minutely details what happened to them and what they saw firsthand. What is most startling about this book is that it is merely a small collection of people in comparison to the vast number of victims and survivors from that day.
Facts are not always easy to bear. However, reading about the violence that other people endured cannot be more burdensome to us than they are to the people that experienced them. I encourage everyone to take a moment and step back to evaluate the carnage of October 7th through the eyes of its victims. And this book will help you to do just that.
Comprised of five chapters, this book is filled with testimonies from Nova survivors, ZAKA volunteers (an Israeli emergency response organization), and forensic evidence provided by medical personnel. Since that fateful day, people have been rushing to document everything that happened.
It’s unfortunate that people today think that they can watch a documentary or read a book (or two) and afterwards become an “expert” on this conflict. But I know better. After earning a PhD, I personally know that it can take YEARS of study to earn expertise in a single subject, let alone an entire conflict that spans decades and several continents. And after earning my PhD, I am fully aware of how to critically evaluate various sources—including primary, secondary, and tertiary sources, including mass-produced books and documentaries. Unfortunately, not everyone with a PhD has grasped the ability to do likewise.
People can argue all they want about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and about what happened before October 7th—and I’m sure that they will do that. But only a fool will deny the rapes and murders that occurred on that day; there is simply too much documented evidence. This book adds to that growing corpus of study.
One survivor of the Nova Festival, Yaniv Ben Haim, particularly captured my attention when he stated that he,
“…saw men who had their dicks cut off and put in their mouths.”
When my maternal grandfather was still alive, he talked about the time that he was in North Africa, just before he landed on Omaha Beach during D-Day. In one of those stories, he told me how the U.S. Army had found the body of a fellow solider who had been murdered by the local Arabs, and how they cut off the soldier’s penis and stuffed it into his mouth.
The book discusses how Israelis, before the atrocities, viewed the local terrorist threat. Prior to the attack, the people of Gaza had their own de-facto country run by Hamas after Israel completely depopulated the Gaza Strip in 2005. Even though many like to refer to Gaza as an “open air prison,” the fact is that Hamas controlled the Rafah Crossing and Palestinians could leave Gaza through Egypt and could, as many already did, apply for passes to work in Israel. Was it ideal? Certainly not. Hamas is a terrorist organization, and any country that is being administered by terrorists is going to fail, and particularly so, given that Hamas’ charter details the destruction of Israel as a nation and the murder of all of its’ inhabitants. So, when the survivors initially heard shooting and the sound of rockets, they didn’t automatically flee because, as the interviews attest, people simply thought that Hamas and the Israeli government was having another rocket spat. While the local kibbutz residents did hunker down in safe rooms, the Nova Festival attendants, many of whom were inebriated, didn’t.
Penzel details that while Hamas was the primary mover of the violence, many local Gazans penetrated the interior of Israel. Penzel reveals that generally, most of the local Gazan civilians were unarmed, but still constituted a threat via assault, kidnapping, and through onsite collaboration with Hamas forces. The author makes sure that readers understand that the Hamas consumption of antisemitic content—including the reading of Hitlers “Mein Kampf”—is partly to blame. Indeed, I’ve seen numerous clips from Gazan television where young children are taught to adhere to antisemitic violence.
The author probes the interviewees deeply. Although Penzel is not a professional social historian, his efforts at preserving memory via testimony is admirable. This book lays out not just the personal thoughts of Hamas’ victims, but also minutely details what happened to them and what they saw firsthand. What is most startling about this book is that it is merely a small collection of people in comparison to the vast number of victims and survivors from that day.
Facts are not always easy to bear. However, reading about the violence that other people endured cannot be more burdensome to us than they are to the people that experienced them. I encourage everyone to take a moment and step back to evaluate the carnage of October 7th through the eyes of its victims. And this book will help you to do just that.
October 10, 2024
Graphic (as one would expect from uncensored testimonies), so not an easy read but certainly a necessary one. We must bear witness.
May 27, 2025
This is a must read book. As a patriotic, American Jew and an avid Zionist, we have traveled to Israel twice since the war began. We visited the sites of the massacre and were highly moved. However, this book brings it to life even more than our actual visits. With firsthand accounts of the horrible inhumane butchery and savage massacres, carried out by not only the Hamas fighters, but also Gaza citizens, how can anyone even begin to criticize the response of the Israeli IDF? The world press gives a much distorted view of the fighting. The only way there will be peace in the area will be for Hamas to be completely eliminated, followed by a reeducation of the children who are now being brought up to think that their mission in life is to kill the Jews.
The book is tough reading, but so is the situation facing Israel. Let’s not forget that Israel, at one time, controlled the Gaza Strip and gave it to the Palestinians. The result is what we are facing. Now there is no way that any thinking individual can come to the conclusion that Israel should allow the area to return to the control of Hamas. To call them savage butchers is a gross understatement.
As stated above, the only long-term solution results in a reeducation of the children away from the current system of fomenting hatred and determination to totally destroy the Jewish nation.
I seriously doubt that they’re ever was a more savage attack and massacre of innocent civilians but the first hand accounts in this book leave No doubt It’s tough reading, but deserves far wider distribution.
The book is tough reading, but so is the situation facing Israel. Let’s not forget that Israel, at one time, controlled the Gaza Strip and gave it to the Palestinians. The result is what we are facing. Now there is no way that any thinking individual can come to the conclusion that Israel should allow the area to return to the control of Hamas. To call them savage butchers is a gross understatement.
As stated above, the only long-term solution results in a reeducation of the children away from the current system of fomenting hatred and determination to totally destroy the Jewish nation.
I seriously doubt that they’re ever was a more savage attack and massacre of innocent civilians but the first hand accounts in this book leave No doubt It’s tough reading, but deserves far wider distribution.
May 22, 2025
Good and Evil
When I read this, I cannot imagine how Hamas and most of all, how "normal" Palestinian civilians were able to choose such hatred and perpetrated such evil.
I will never look at them the same way I did before.
At the same time, the suffering that was in those Kibbutzim and the party and surrounding will be engraved in the minds and hearts for generations.
Am Yisrael chai.
When I read this, I cannot imagine how Hamas and most of all, how "normal" Palestinian civilians were able to choose such hatred and perpetrated such evil.
I will never look at them the same way I did before.
At the same time, the suffering that was in those Kibbutzim and the party and surrounding will be engraved in the minds and hearts for generations.
Am Yisrael chai.
November 20, 2024
A powerful book which you must read
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2024
From the very first page, I could not stop reading. The voices haunt me, and yet there is something comforting about Alon guiding us through these heartbreaking stories. He asks the questions and goes to places we might wonder about but never actually voice. The illustrative language allows the reader to not only hear these testimonies but also to feel the essence of each experience. What makes this collection truly remarkable is its commitment to unveiling stories that often go unheard, challenging societal norms that tend to sanitize and create safe spaces. In my opinion, there were no safe spaces on October 7th. Alon has provided all of us the opportunity to bear witness to true and authentic raw testimonies. It’s painful, but necessary for us to learn them and share the truth so that others are aware of the horrific reality of this evil.
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2024
From the very first page, I could not stop reading. The voices haunt me, and yet there is something comforting about Alon guiding us through these heartbreaking stories. He asks the questions and goes to places we might wonder about but never actually voice. The illustrative language allows the reader to not only hear these testimonies but also to feel the essence of each experience. What makes this collection truly remarkable is its commitment to unveiling stories that often go unheard, challenging societal norms that tend to sanitize and create safe spaces. In my opinion, there were no safe spaces on October 7th. Alon has provided all of us the opportunity to bear witness to true and authentic raw testimonies. It’s painful, but necessary for us to learn them and share the truth so that others are aware of the horrific reality of this evil.
October 14, 2024
Testimonies without boundaries
Very well written! Very sad That people could be that evil. It literally makes you stop and know that Satan's demons have arrived as many among us. Stand firm and fight it doesn't get better but only worst as the end of time comes when we will be with our Heavenly Father
Very well written! Very sad That people could be that evil. It literally makes you stop and know that Satan's demons have arrived as many among us. Stand firm and fight it doesn't get better but only worst as the end of time comes when we will be with our Heavenly Father
November 9, 2024
While this is a gut-wrenching book and quite difficult to comprehend, I think it's a must-read for anyone who truly wants to understand from first-hand survivors and rescue personnel what actually occurred on October 7th, which is now referred to as the Jewish people's second holocaust.
October 14, 2024
Read this book to get a clear understanding what happened Oct 7.
Well written and is engrossing.
Well written and is engrossing.
November 19, 2024
It is a very important book, its a MUST read for everyone.
Everyone should know the horrors that Hamas has done.
Thank you Mr.Penzel.
Everyone should know the horrors that Hamas has done.
Thank you Mr.Penzel.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews