'You hear the screams... and then you hear silence': New report exposes systematic sexual violence on October 7
A landmark new report concludes that sexual and gender-based violence was systematic, widespread, and central to the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks and the subsequent captivity of hostages in Gaza
The Civil Commission on October 7 Crimes by Hamas against Women and Children released its findings Tuesday after a two-year independent investigation, presenting what it describes as the most extensive documentation of sexual violence across the full scope of the attacks, from the initial assault through abduction, transfer, and prolonged captivity. The 300-page study, titled "Silenced No More," identifies 13 recurring forms of sexual and gender-based violence. This includes rape, gang rape, sexual torture and mutilation, forced nudity, executions linked to sexual violence, postmortem sexual abuse, and assaults carried out in the presence of family members.
The investigation draws on more than 10,000 photographs and video segments, amounting to over 1,800 hours of visual material, alongside more than 430 testimonies from survivors, witnesses, released hostages, and experts. Victims represented 52 different nationalities, in addition to Israeli citizens. Among numerous other prominent international law experts, the report was endorsed by former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former UN special adviser on the prevention of genocide Alice Wairimu Nderitu, and former Israeli Supreme Court president Aharon Barak. Former Canadian justice minister Irwin Cotler served as a principal contributor as well.
The report introduces the term "kinocidal sexual violence" to describe acts designed to destroy family structures through familial bonds, including at least one documented case in which hostages were coerced into sexual acts against one another. Sexual violence against hostages persisted throughout captivity, in some cases for many months, affecting both women and men.
Former hostage Agam Goldstein, 17, 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." Nova music festival survivor Darin Komarov described witnessing a rape during the attack. "You hear it. It's right next to you. You hear the screams... And then you hear silence," she told the commission. Fellow Nova survivor Raz Cohen testified to witnessing a woman pulled from a vehicle: "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."
The report further details how perpetrators publicly displayed and paraded women and children, issued threats of forced marriage, and systematically handcuffed and bound victims. It also documented how Hamas and its collaborators presented women and their bodies as trophies of war, with footage showing militants and Gazan civilians celebrating over abused bodies. Videos filmed during captivity show hostages being tormented, taunted, and humiliated on camera, with the digital abuse of hostages continuing for many months after October 7.
The release of the report coincides with the Knesset passing a law Monday establishing a special military tribunal to try October 7 perpetrators, specifically including "sexual crimes" among the alleged war crimes committed during the attack. "For two years, we have listened to survivors and witnesses, painstakingly examined the evidence, and confronted material that is often beyond comprehension," said Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, founder of the Civil Commission. "The report reveals that sexual violence was a deliberate strategy, carried out with exceptional cruelty."
Because the Commission began collecting evidence immediately after the attacks, it preserved material that is no longer publicly available, including original footage, communications, and testimonies that were later removed or lost. "Nor can we begin to prevent what we do not know, or what we choose not to fully understand," said Dr. Elkayam-Levy, adding that the report's findings have the potential to reshape the language of international law.
The commission concludes the documented acts constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocidal acts under international law, and calls for specialized prosecutorial mechanisms incorporating survivor-centered approaches. "Our conclusion is unequivocal: sexual and gender-based violence formed a central component of the October 7 attack and of hostages' captivity."