Amazon has reversed its decision to reject a book containing testimonies from survivors and first responders of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel. The book, titled "Testimonies Without Boundaries, Israel: October 7th 2023," was written by Alon Penzel, a 23-year-old former spokesman for Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories.
Initially, according to The Jewish Insider, Amazon declined to sell the book, citing a violation of its content guidelines. However, after The Jewish Insider inquired about the rejection, the e-commerce platform made the title available on its site. Amazon did not respond to requests for comment from the news outlet.
Penzel's book features graphic testimonies from ZAKA (humanitarian assistance NGO) volunteers who collected human remains, survivors of the Nova Festival massacre, and workers at Israel's Forensic Medicine Institute. The author also included evidence he personally viewed.
"I wanted to take the initiative to memorialize the events so no one could deny or forget them. I am the grandson of a Holocaust survivor," Penzel told The Jewish Insider. He explained that the book "is uncensored and not delicate about what happened," and includes many previously unpublished accounts, including cases of sexual abuse.
The book was published in cooperation with Israel-Is, an organization aimed at improving Israel's image. Israeli-Is CEO Nimrod Palmach, who wrote the book's foreword, was among the Israelis who drove to the Gaza border on Oct. 7 to rescue civilians.
Penzel, a student at Haifa University, collected testimonies from more than 60 survivors, volunteers, and professionals. He emphasized his rigorous fact-checking process, stating, "I tried to include all the elements that represent Oct. 7."
Israel's Foreign Ministry and Diaspora Ministry have purchased dozens of copies of the book, intending to distribute them to influential figures worldwide. Penzel described the book as "a major diplomatic tool."
The author acknowledged receiving some antisemitic responses and denials of the events described in the book. "Nothing surprised me, because as a spokesman for COGAT, I experienced questions bordering on antisemitism by journalists and people working in the field," Penzel said. "I won't censor myself. I'll talk about what I heard and saw, and make an impact. I don't plan to stop. It's my mission and it's a national mission."
Amazon's content guidelines prohibit illegal or infringing content, hate speech, and materials that promote abuse or glorify violence. However, The Jewish Insider found inconsistencies in the platform's enforcement of these guidelines.
According to the report, Amazon continues to sell a book titled "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood: The Defeat of the Vanquisher," which justifies the Oct. 7 attack as "resistance" and claims that "the death of civilians was ... not an objective." This comes after the platform faced scrutiny for selling and subsequently removing a book by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar that glorified the Oct. 7 events. The apparent discrepancy in Amazon's content moderation practices raises questions about the consistency of its policy implementation.
Furthermore, the company has remained silent about its employee, Sasha Troufanov, who was kidnapped to Gaza on Oct. 7 and held hostage by Hamas ever since.
