The Killing Roads: A raw look at the horrific truth of Oct. 7
As the first anniversary of the Palestinian Hamas massacre of Israelis on Oct. 7 approaches, a new film is being released about the horrific event. In the words of its producer, “This is the best movie I never want to have to make again.”
The documentary retraces the final moments of 250 Israelis who were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists along a 70-kilometer stretch of highways 232 and 34, near Gaza. The film’s World Premiere will be launched free of charge on all social media platforms, YouTube, Vimeo, and the website www.thekillingroads.com on October 1 at 8 PM EST and will remain on the website, available for free. The documentary was produced by Canadian-Israeli Igal Hecht, who founded Chutzpa Productions 25 years ago, and his cameraman, Lior Cohen.
The Killing Roads pieces together new interviews with survivors of Oct. 7, bereaved relatives, and first responders, along with hours of video taken on that day—by both the terrorists themselves and their victims. It also includes graphic, never-before-seen video from Israeli ambulance dash cam recordings, although Hecht decided to blur the victim’s faces out of respect for those involved.
Though he lives in Canada, much of his work is focused on Israel. Hecht is an accomplished professional with over 25 years of experience. The Killing Roads is Hecht’s 52nd film as a director and his 68th as an editor. He is currently working on a powerful documentary with Israeli filmmaker Dotan Nave, focusing on a group of women survivors from Kibbutz Kfar Aza. However, when considering this project, Hecht decided to move forward immediately and self-fund it.
“I had a few people express interest in investing in the film, but once I made it clear that the film would be released for free on all social media platforms and our dedicated website, potential investors weren’t convinced there was a way to recoup their money,” Hecht said.
He set up a GoFundMe, but it was insufficient. He was greatly aided by his cameraman, Lior Cohen, with whom he has worked for over twenty years.
But describing this documentary as a labor of love would be a mistake.
“I was quoted as saying that I hate this film,” Hecht said. “I don’t hate the film. I hate this movie. I hate that I needed to make it. I hate what brought it about. It is the best film I hope never to make again.”
“It aims to expose the truth about the atrocities committed by Palestinian terrorists on Oct. 7 and address the denial that has been prevalent in Canada, the US, and around the world,” he said.
Much of the film was recorded on GoPro cameras, mirroring the raw footage recorded on the same type of cameras by the Palestinian terrorists, at the very locations where the attacks happened.
“Every group of terrorists had a video camera,” Hecht explained. “It wasn’t enough for them to murder Jews. They wanted to record it for posterity. They were proud of what they did.”
After the Allied Forces liberated the Nazi death camps in World War Two, Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower foresaw a day when the horrors of the Holocaust might be denied. He invited the media to document the scene. Despite this video record produced by Palestinian Hamas, many anti-Semites deny the events. One of the driving motives for creating this movie was the desire by Hecht to confront this denial.
“In an era of widespread denial about what happened, The Killing Roads is a direct confrontation to those who reject the truth,” Hecht said. “It wasn’t just Hamas. On Oct. 7, 6,000 Palestinian terrorists, civilians included, woke up in Gaza with one goal – to murder, burn, and rape as many Jews as possible. That’s the central fact. No Israeli was looking to enter Gaza before the 7th. Israel had left Gaza. But thousands of Palestinians crossed into Israel that day with a singular, savage intent: to slaughter civilians simply because they were Jewish.”
Premiering on Oct. 1, 8:00 PM SET, The Killing Roads can be viewed on the website or YouTube, or on X (formerly known as Twitter). Igal Hecht intends to keep the movie available for free viewing.
Watch my interview with Igal Hecht here!
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