Israeli Report Details Systematic Sexual Violence in Oct. 7 Attacks

An independent Israeli report has detailed systematic sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, according to multiple sources. The Civil Commission's 'Silenced No More' report documents widespread and deliberate acts of sexual violence against women, men, and children at sites including the Nova music festival.

The two-year investigation drew on over 400 testimonies and nearly 2,000 hours of visual analysis to identify 13 patterns of violence. These included gang rape, sexual torture involving burning and mutilation, forced nudity, and acts recorded by attackers for social media distribution. The report concludes that this violence was a deliberate tactic intended to maximize suffering.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the commission collected digital materials, conducted interviews with survivors, and cross-referenced information using independent data sources. Witnesses described hearing screams of sexual assault at the Nova festival and finding victims without underwear or with genital mutilation. Some hostages reported being sexually assaulted for months in captivity.

The findings align with reports from the United Nations and International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan, who have found reasonable grounds to believe Hamas committed rape and other sexual violence during their attacks. However, some critics have challenged previous research by Cochav Elkayam-Levy, the report's lead author, while prominent figures like Hillary Clinton and Sheryl Sandberg have endorsed her work.

Meanwhile, a controversial New York Times opinion piece by Nicholas Kristof has alleged similar sexual abuses against Palestinians by Israeli forces. The article cites 14 sources including victims, family members, and human rights groups, but includes numerous caveats about the difficulty of corroborating these accounts due to cultural norms and victim reluctance.