Massacres and large-scale abductions of civilians such as seen in Israel on October 7 are nearly unprecedented in the annals of global terrorism, an already horrific history that includes atrocities such as the hijacking of civilian aircraft, the deliberate crashing of planes into skyscrapers, and the execution of civilians using various methods — sometimes broadcast live to the world.
But the events of October 7 are a world apart, according to Prof. Boaz Ganor, president of Reichman University and founder of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT).
“What happened on October 7 is unprecedented from an Israeli perspective, and the only known international precedent is the abduction of 276 girls by Boko Haram” in Nigeria in 2014, Ganor told The Times of Israel in a recent interview.