Prof. Michael Gilead from Tel Aviv University ’s School of Psychological Sciences and his colleagues have been studying the effects of viewing videos with graphic content circulated since Hamas’ October 7 attack showing the horrors of the attack. Now, he says the results of viewing such content could be dire.
“It’s horrifying because it made people develop post-traumatic symptoms in clinical levels seen in diagnosed PTSD ,” he told Ynet. 3 View gallery Hamas terrorists on October 7 ( Photo: AP ) In a post he published on his X account on Monday, marking exactly one year since October 7, Prof. Gilead unequivocally advised against watching the graphic videos.
"Don't rewatch the harrowing videos from that terrible day; they’re truly scarring. We analyzed long-term data from about a thousand people to examine the effects of watching the horrific videos from October 7 onward.” “Watching them was specifically linked to a prolonged increase in post-traumatic symptoms, beyond the level of direct exposure to the events, baseline PTSD levels and a tendency to uncontrollably consume content,” he added.
To maintain global legitimacy for Israel's response against Hamas in Gaza, the Foreign Ministry released shocking footage of the massacre in Gaza border communities. Hundreds of videos were also shared on social media and gained unprecedented exposure. "There are moral and ethical questions here that every individual must examine for themselves,” Prof.
Gilead said. “.