to ensure that the suffering endured will not be denied, erased or forgotten
In the long and sorrowful history of warfare, sexual violence has too often been wielded not as a byproduct of chaos but as a deliberate instrument of domination and terror. An independent Israeli investigation, drawing on hundreds of survivor testimonies and thousands of recordings made by the attackers themselves, has now documented with painstaking rigor that the sexual violence committed during the October 7, 2023 attacks was systematic and intentional — a weaponization of the body designed to maximize suffering across kibbutzim, military bases, and a music festival where hundreds perished. The 300-page report concludes these acts constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, and its archived evidence stands as both a potential foundation for future prosecution and a memorial against denial.
- A comprehensive investigation has confirmed what many survivors described but some disputed: sexual violence on October 7 was not incidental but orchestrated, recurring in identical patterns across multiple attack sites simultaneously.
- The scale of documented horror is staggering — gang rape, genital mutilation, and sexual torture were recorded not only in the initial attacks but continued against hostages held in captivity for extended periods, targeting both women and men.
- Investigators faced a compounded challenge: early false accounts from officials and the destruction of forensic evidence by first responders forced the commission to rebuild its evidentiary foundation through exhaustive cross-referencing of 430 interviews and over 10,000 attacker-recorded images.
- Some survivors have spoken publicly — among them Amit Soussana and Romi Gonen — while many others have shared accounts only in confidence, their testimonies preserved in a secure archive that may one day support international prosecutions.
- Hamas continues to deny all allegations of sexual violence, but a separate UN investigation independently concluded there were reasonable grounds to believe such crimes, including gang rape, had occurred.
On October 7, 2023, sexual violence was deployed as a deliberate weapon alongside the coordinated Hamas-led attacks across southern Israel. An independent Israeli investigation released in May 2024 has produced the most exhaustive accounting of these crimes to date — a 300-page report built from 430 filmed survivor interviews, more than 10,000 photographs and videos recorded by the attackers themselves, and material gathered from attack sites.
At the Nova dance festival, where more than 370 people were killed, witnesses described gang rapes unfolding in plain sight. Across the festival grounds, kibbutzim, and overrun military bases, investigators found recurring patterns: victims bearing signs of genital mutilation, many of those assaulted subsequently shot in the head. A male survivor described being treated as a 'sex doll.' The report also documents a particularly disturbing pattern in which family members were forced by captors to commit sexual acts upon one another — the exploitation of intimate bonds as an instrument of terror.
The violence extended into captivity. Former hostages including Amit Soussana, Romi Gonen, and others have publicly described sexual assault during their imprisonment. Many more have spoken only to medical professionals and investigators, their accounts preserved but not yet public.
The commission conducted its work with deliberate care, aware that early false accounts and the destruction of forensic evidence by first responders had complicated the record. Investigators excluded any evidence obtained through Israeli interrogations to preserve independence, and cross-referenced all findings rigorously.
The report concludes the documented acts constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocidal acts under international law. Its archived evidence may support future prosecutions. But the investigation also carries a quieter purpose: to ensure that what was suffered — by those killed, and by those still living with the trauma — cannot be denied or erased. Hamas has rejected all allegations; a separate UN inquiry found reasonable grounds to believe the crimes occurred.
On October 7, 2023, as Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups launched coordinated attacks across southern Israel, sexual violence became a deliberate instrument of terror. An independent Israeli investigation, released in May 2024, has now documented the systematic nature of these crimes in exhaustive detail—a 300-page report that stands as the most comprehensive accounting of its kind.
The investigation drew on 430 filmed interviews with survivors and witnesses, more than 10,000 photographs and videos recorded by the attackers themselves, official records, and material collected from attack sites. What emerged was a portrait of violence designed not merely to kill, but to inflict maximum psychological and physical devastation. The report concludes that rapes, sexual assaults, and sexual torture were intentional tactics, part of what investigators describe as the weaponization of sexual violence.
At the Nova dance festival, where more than 370 people were killed in a single location, witnesses describe hearing and seeing violent gang rapes unfold. A male survivor recounted being treated as a "sex doll" by his assailants. Across the festival grounds, kibbutzim, and military bases that were overrun, investigators documented recurring patterns: dead women found without underwear, corpses bearing signs of genital mutilation. Many of those who had been raped or sexually assaulted were subsequently shot in the head.
The violence did not end with the initial attacks. The report details what it characterizes as extreme forms of sexual and gender-based violence continuing against hostages held in captivity for extended periods, inflicted on both women and men. Some former hostages—Amit Soussana, Arbel Yehud, Romi Gonen, Rom Braslavski, and Guy Gilbol Dalal among them—have publicly described their experiences of sexual assault. Many other victims have spoken only in confidence to medical professionals, therapists, and investigators, their accounts preserved but not yet made public.
Among the report's most disturbing findings is evidence of a distinct pattern targeting family members, with cases documented in which relatives were forced by captors to perform sexual acts on one another. Investigators characterize this as the exploitation of familial relationships as instruments of terror.
The investigation was conducted with deliberate methodological rigor. In the immediate aftermath of October 7, some initial accounts of violence shared by Israeli officials proved false, and important forensic evidence was destroyed as first responders rushed through crime scenes. Aware of these complications, the report's authors cross-referenced and fact-checked their evidence with particular care. Notably, they excluded any evidence obtained from Israeli interrogations of detained suspects to preserve the independence of their work.
The Civil Commission concludes that the documented crimes constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocidal acts under international law. The evidence has been preserved in a secure archive and may support future prosecutions. But the investigation also serves another purpose: to create a historical record. As the report states, its aim is to ensure that the suffering endured by victims—many of whom were killed, and others who remain deeply traumatized—will not be denied, erased, or forgotten.
Hamas has repeatedly denied that sexual or gender-based violence occurred during the attacks or in captivity. A separate investigation by the UN's Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, however, concluded there were "reasonable grounds to believe" that sexual violence, including gang rape, had been committed. The October 7 attacks killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and resulted in 251 people being taken hostage. The violence triggered what has become the deadliest war in Gaza's history, with the Hamas-run Health Ministry reporting 72,742 Palestinian deaths—figures the UN considers reliable.
Citações Notáveis
The crimes carried out constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocidal acts under international law.— Civil Commission investigation report
To ensure that the suffering endured by the victims will not be denied, erased or forgotten.— Civil Commission statement on investigation purpose
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did investigators feel they needed to be so careful about the evidence they included?
Because in the first days after October 7, some Israeli officials made claims about the violence that turned out to be false. And first responders, moving quickly through the attack sites, inadvertently destroyed important forensic evidence. So the commission knew they had to be meticulous—cross-checking everything, fact-checking rigorously—or their work would lack credibility.
They excluded evidence from Israeli interrogations. Why make that choice?
To preserve independence. If they'd relied on confessions or statements extracted by Israeli authorities, the report could be dismissed as politically motivated or tainted. By building their case on survivor interviews, the attackers' own recordings, and physical evidence from the sites, they made it harder to challenge the findings on procedural grounds.
The report calls this "weaponization" of sexual violence. What does that phrase actually mean in this context?
It means the violence wasn't incidental or opportunistic. It was deliberate strategy—designed to maximize suffering, to terrorize, to humiliate. The investigators found patterns: targeting families, forcing relatives to assault each other, continuing the violence against hostages in captivity. That's not chaos. That's method.
Some victims have spoken publicly. Others haven't. Why the difference?
Trauma. Some survivors have the capacity or need to testify publicly, to name what happened to them. Others are too damaged, too afraid, or simply not ready. The report preserves both kinds of accounts—the public testimonies and the confidential ones shared only with therapists and investigators. Both matter for the historical record.
What happens with this evidence now?
It goes into a secure archive. It may be used in future prosecutions—either in Israeli courts or in international forums. But equally important, it becomes the official record. It means that decades from now, when people ask what happened on October 7, there will be a documented answer. The suffering won't be erased.