Report: October 7 Sexual Violence is Documented and Prosecutable
A new report by the Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children argues that sexual and gender-based crimes committed during the October 7 massacre and against hostages in Gaza were systematic, documented and legally prosecutable.
A new report by the Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children argues that sexual and gender-based crimes committed during the October 7 massacre and against hostages in Gaza were systematic, documented and legally prosecutable.
The report, titled “Sexual Terror Unveiled: The Untold Atrocities of October 7 and Against Hostages in Captivity,” was published Tuesday after a two-year independent investigation led by Israel Prize laureate and international law expert Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy.
The commission says the next stage is no longer only proving that the crimes occurred, but establishing how they can be prosecuted. It argues that the evidentiary challenge created by destroyed crime scenes, murdered victims, partial forensic documentation and traumatized witnesses can be addressed through cumulative proof.
The report is based on a dedicated war crimes archive containing more than 10,000 photographs and video segments, over 1,800 hours of visual analysis, and more than 430 testimonies, interviews and meetings with survivors, witnesses, released hostages, experts and family members. Victims represented in the analysis came from 52 nationalities.
According to the commission, the material was logged, coded, cross-referenced and mapped across time and geography, creating a database focused specifically on sexual and gender-based crimes. The investigation also used open-source material, geolocation-supported data, site visits and expert consultations.
The report identifies 13 recurring patterns of sexual and gender-based violence across attack sites. These include rape and gang rape, sexual torture and mutilation, forced nudity, executions connected to sexual violence, postmortem abuse, sexual assault in front of relatives, filming and digital distribution, threats of forced marriage, and sexual violence against boys and men.
The commission argues that the crimes constituted war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocidal acts, torture and terrorism-linked sexual and gender-based violence under international law.
Former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak wrote in a foreword that evidence in atrocity cases, especially those involving sexual violence, is often fragmented and that many victims cannot testify. Under those conditions, he wrote, a reliable evidentiary archive becomes essential, even if it is not a substitute for a court.
The report also focuses on crimes committed against families, saying some sexual violence was designed to use family bonds as part of the terror itself. It describes this as “kinocidal sexual violence,” meaning violence that targets family relationships as well as individual victims.
The commission further argues that filming, livestreaming and distributing images were part of the crimes, not incidental documentation, and were used to humiliate victims and intimidate families and communities.
The report calls for a specialized prosecution framework, including investigators, prosecutors and judges trained in conflict-related sexual violence, trauma-informed procedures, international cooperation, sanctions and victim support.
Hamas has denied allegations of sexual violence by its members. The commission says its archive is meant to preserve evidence, counter denial and provide a legal foundation for accountability.