A new report by an Israeli non-profit organization has revealed that sexual violence played a systematic and widespread role in the Hamas-led attacks on October 7 and their aftermath. The report, titled “Silenced No More,” was released by the Civil Commission, an independent group that extensively researched and documented gender-based violence by Hamas following the 2023 attack on Israel, which led to the conflict in Gaza.
The investigation, spanning two years, gathered over 400 testimonies and nearly 2,000 hours of visual evidence, outlining 13 different patterns of violence, such as gang rape, sexual torture, and forced nudity. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, the founder and chair of the commission and primary author of the report, emphasized that the findings indicated a deliberate strategy as part of the overall terror inflicted on victims and hostages.
The United Nations also reported evidence suggesting that Hamas employed sexual violence during the same attacks. Both sides have engaged in a politicized discourse regarding sexual violence, with Israel highlighting incidents during the October 7 attacks to condemn Hamas and justify its actions. The report’s conclusions, although not independently verified by The Associated Press, have faced criticism from some quarters.
The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor, Karim Khan, expressed concerns about the involvement of Hamas leaders in acts of sexual violence as crimes against humanity. Human rights organizations and Palestinian detainees have shared harrowing accounts of abuse and torture, with allegations of sexual violence also surfacing in Israeli prisons.
The commission, comprising researchers, legal experts, and trauma specialists, collected digital evidence, conducted interviews, and filmed testimonies to compile the report. It revealed that women and hostages were primarily targeted by Hamas, but children also suffered violence and abuse. The report detailed instances of sexual torture designed to inflict maximum pain, including burning, mutilation, and forced insertion of objects.
The report documented assaults at various locations, including the Nova Music festival, where numerous casualties occurred. Witnesses attested to the presence of sexual assault during the attacks. Survivors reported enduring sexual harassment and assault during their captivity. Some former hostages have come forward with accounts of being sexually assaulted while in captivity.
Authorities from Israel and Hamas have not responded to requests for comments from The Associated Press regarding the report’s findings.