“The Children of October 7,” a new documentary about Israeli children affected by the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, will premiere on Paramount+ on April 23. The release date coincides with Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The film, created by Montana Tucker and produced by Israeli journalist and filmmaker Rotem Alima, captures first-person testimonies from children whose families were murdered, kidnapped, or remain missing.
“I am so beyond grateful that Paramount+ gave ‘The Children of October 7th’ a home,” Tucker told The Journal. “This documentary is a necessary watch, for all generations, and to have it stream in the U.S. on one of the biggest platforms is a true honor. The world needs to see and hear these innocent children’s testimonies. It’s also coming out on April 23, which is Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day). I am the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, and my grandmother was only 13 when she was taken to Auschwitz, where she witnessed and experienced the unimaginable. The children I interviewed were ages 11 to 17. The parallels are haunting. We must never forget. And never again.”
“I am the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, and my grandmother was only 13 when she was taken to Auschwitz. … The children I interviewed were ages 11 to 17. The parallels are haunting.” – Montana Tucker
The film was shot over several months in Israel, with Tucker and Alima working closely with families to build trust. Some of the children had followed Tucker on TikTok, and the interviews were designed to feel more like conversations than formal testimony. Filming began about a year after the attacks, once the children had begun processing what they’d experienced.
Scenes include accounts of children hiding under their parents’ bodies, watching siblings be killed, and being forced to sit in rooms where Hamas terrorists livestreamed the horrors to Facebook using the victims’ phones and accounts.
One of the most disturbing moments centers on a family attacked in their home. Eleven-year-old Yael Idan had taken shelter with her family in a safe room when the Hamas terrorists shouted through the door, promising not to shoot if they came out. When they didn’t respond, the terrorists opened fire, killing Yael’s older sister, Mayaan, 18, in front of her. The attackers then forced the surviving family members — and neighbors taken from other homes — to sit together in the kitchen. Yael’s father Tsachi was abducted to Gaza where he was murdered. Tsachi’s body was among four dead Israelis exchanged for 600 Palestinian prisoners in February 2025.
“The Children of October 7” release comes seven weeks after “No Other Land,” a documentary critical of Israeli policy in the West Bank, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Co-directed by Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, “No Other Land” was condemned for inaccuracies and lacking context. Creative Community for Peace (CCFP), a nonprofit that engages with Hollywood on Israel-related issues, said the film “presents a one-sided, inaccurate narrative that demonizes Israelis and overlooks the rationale behind Israel’s security policies in the West Bank.”
Tucker and Alima see their documentary as a space for voices that need to be amplified. With Paramount+, their documentary will be on platform with over 77 million subscribers worldwide. “In today’s fragmented media landscape, having a documentary on a significant platform offers a chance to build bridges across different communities and perspectives,” Alima told The Journal. “I’m grateful and excited Paramount+ picked up the film, giving us the ability to bring these children’s experiences — stories of tremendous resilience and hope amid unimaginable circumstance — to viewers who might otherwise never encounter them.”
Alima, who left her role as a producer at Apple two days before the attacks, has spent much of the past year focused on Israel-related projects. A former winner of the Israeli Academy Award and a Student Oscar, she now splits her time between documentary work and community organizing in Los Angeles.
“I sincerely hope that viewers will connect on a human level, beyond political divides, and be inspired by their courage and resilience,” she said. “Our goal has always been to honor these children’s voices while creating space for healing and understanding. If our film can contribute even in a small way to greater empathy and dialogue, I’ll consider it a huge success.”
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.