Sickening true scale of Hamas’s ‘sexual terrorism’ during October 7 massacre is revealed

The organisation analysed more than 10,000 photos and video clips, amounting to over 1,800 hours of visual material, alongside more than 430 testimonies and interviews with survivors, witnesses, released hostages, experts, and family members.

The shocking report identified 13 recurring patterns of abuse across multiple locations and phases of the attacks – including gang rape, sexual torture, multaliation, postmortem sexual abuse, and sexual assaults carried out in front of relatives.

In one sickening case, Hamas terrorists forced innocent Israelis to carry out acts of sexual abuse against their own family members.

The probe also confirmed that sexual and gender-based violence was a “central component” of the October 7 attacks.

Perpetrators took images and videos of themselves carrying out their crimes – sending them to relatives of their victims and circulating across social media platforms.

The report found that the digital documentation of the brutality has prolonged trauma suffered by victims and hindered their rehabilitation in the aftermath of the atrocities.

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Based on the evidence, the Civil Commission concluded the acts committed by Hamas terrorists constituted war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocidal acts under international law.

“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,” it noted.

The organisation said the report provides “a detailed evidentiary and legal roadmap for prosecution and accountability” and outlines pathways Israeli authorities can take to bring individual perpetrators to justice.

The Civil Commission also urged its findings to be made part of historical record to “honour victims, advance justice and accountability, and strengthen collective efforts against denial and erasure”.

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The organisation’s founder, Dr Cochav Elkayam-Levy, said: “For two years, we have listened to survivors and witnesses, painstakingly examined the evidence, and confronted material that is often beyond comprehension.

“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.

“The report reveals that sexual violence was a deliberate strategy, carried out with exceptional cruelty.”

She added: “Now is the time to act, to confront the truth and ensure it is heard. We cannot prevent future atrocities if we ignore, deny, question, or look away from them.

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“Nor can we begin to prevent what we do not know – or what we choose not to fully understand.

“Documenting these crimes is essential for giving voice to victims and to ensuring a different future for our children.”

In March 2024, the UN’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, said that “there was “clear and convincing information” that Israeli hostages in Gaza were subject to sexual violence in captivity.

She also reported that there was “reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence occurred” during the terror attacks.

However, despite this assertion, a number of anti-Israel critics have frequently downplayed or denied that sexual violence took place during the massacre.