A new investigation reveals that rape and abuse were used deliberately during the attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023 to terrorise the entire Israeli society and not just the victims.
The report, titled ‘Silenced No More’, was produced by the Civil Commission on October 7 Crimes by Hamas against Women and Children, an Israeli organisation established to document the atrocities of that day. At 300 pages, it is based on more than 430 interviews with survivors, witnesses, returned hostages, and family members, as well as a review of over 10,000 photographs and video segments.
What happened?
On October 7, 2023, approximately 5,600 Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists crossed into Israel from Gaza, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Among the many atrocities committed that day, investigators documented 13 distinct forms of sexual violence, including rape, gang rape, sexual torture, mutilation, and abuse carried out in front of family members.
Both women and men were targeted. Eyewitness accounts from the Nova music festival describe victims being gang-raped and killed. Male victims also reported being subjected to violent sexual assault and torture. Survivors described their attackers as laughing and showing no remorse.
Hostages taken to Gaza were not spared. Female hostages reported being assaulted during captivity, while some family members held together were reportedly forced to commit sexual acts against one another.
A calculated strategy
The commission’s central conclusion was that sexual violence was a core, calculated part of the attack.
“The scale, coordination, and repetition of the conduct demonstrate a widespread and systematic attack against civilians in which sexual violence was deliberately used as a method of terror,” the report states.
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The attackers also recorded their crimes and shared videos and images on social media, in many cases sending footage directly to the families of victims. Investigators say this was itself an act of violence, designed to spread fear and psychological suffering far beyond the immediate victims.
“What we have witnessed is deep hatred to humiliate us and terrorise us as a people, as a nation,” said Dr Cochav Elkayam-Levy, an international law expert and the commission’s founding chair.
Are there any legal consequences?
The commission concluded that the acts documented constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocidal acts under international law. It has been recommended that Israeli authorities prosecute the perpetrators specifically for sexual and gender-based violence.
In a related development, Israel’s parliament recently passed a law establishing a special tribunal to try the October 7 perpetrators, with sexual crimes explicitly included among the charges.
Why does this report matter?
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Dr. Elkayam-Levy said the report was partly motivated by the early and rapid denial of the crimes in international fora, including at the United Nations. She stressed the importance of preserving evidence before it could be erased or disputed.
“We have worked to preserve this evidence within a dedicated war crimes archive to ensure their voices are heard and that the world knows what happened,” she said.
The report has been endorsed by international figures, including former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler. The commission plans to submit the report to national parliaments and foreign governments worldwide.
“Our conclusion is unequivocal,” the report states. “Sexual and gender-based violence formed a central component of the October 7 attack and of hostages’ captivity.”
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(Written by Nityanjali Bulsu, who is an intern at The Indian Express)
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