Hamas Forced Family Members Into Sexual Acts During Oct. 7 Atrocities, Investigation Alleges: 'You Hear the Screams'
A newly released two-year investigation has concluded that Hamas used sexual violence extensively during the Oct. 7 attacks and throughout the hostage crisis that followed.
The body of a woman taken hostage by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7. Many were raped during the attack and captivity.
Hamas terrorists parading the half-naked body of Shani Louk on Oct. 7, one of many such incidents cited in the report.
The report, published Tuesday by the Israeli nonprofit Civil Commission on October 7 Crimes by Hamas against Women and Children, documented evidence gathered from more than 10,000 images and nearly 2,000 hours of recorded footage.
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Investigators also spoke with over 430 witnesses, many of whom described scenes of rape, sexual humiliation, mutilation, and executions carried out during the attacks. Testimonies included allegations that women were assaulted both before and after death, while bodies were later displayed publicly.
“The men pulled a woman from the vehicle … forcibly removed her clothing, and raped her … They repeatedly stabbed her, killing her … They continued to rape her after her death,” Nova music festival survivor Raz Cohen said in testimony presented to the commission.
Another witness, Darin Komarov, described hearing the violence nearby.
“You hear it. It’s right next to you. You hear the screams,” Komarov said. “And then you hear silence.”
The Oct. 7, 2023 attack left nearly 2,000 people dead, while more than 250 individuals were abducted and taken into Gaza as hostages.
According to the commission, the alleged sexual violence began during the massacres near the Gaza border and continued during captivity inside Gaza tunnels and hidden locations.
AP
Former hostage Agam Goldstein described the psychological toll of captivity.
“It’s these little things that break you. When you have no control over your body and no control over how to take care of your body,” Goldstein said after surviving more than a month in captivity.
The investigation stated that the alleged abuse was not limited to women, adding that men, boys, and elderly victims were also subjected to rape and other sexual crimes.
Some incidents described by survivors were categorized as “kinocidal sexual violence,” a term the commission used to describe attacks intended to destroy families emotionally and socially.
The report detailed allegations that young women were threatened with marriage to their captors. It also included claims that relatives held together were forced into sexual acts against one another.
“These acts weaponize the deepest human bonds to maximize pain and psychological devastation,” the report said. “They exacerbate emotional distress and trauma beyond the initial acts and often create multigenerational trauma.”
According to the findings cited by i24 News, the commission determined that Hamas’ conduct constituted war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide.
“The report reveals that sexual violence was a deliberate strategy, carried out with exceptional cruelty,” commission 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.”
