Systematic sexual violence, inflicted with the specific intent of amplifying pain and suffering. A new report, first shared with CNN, attributes unspeakable torture to Hamas militants and their allies after the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack in southern Israel. This is the largest dossier available so far. Sexual and gender-based violence against women, men and children is described as “systematic, widespread and an integral part” of aggression. “The most important finding is that the sexual violence of October 7 and that perpetrated against the hostages in captivity was a calculated strategy by Hamas,” Cochav Elkayam-Levy, lead author of the study and human rights expert, told CNN. The aim of the work is to prevent violence from being “denied, canceled or forgotten”.
Like other archives of this type, the material will not be accessible to the public for a certain period of time in order to protect the privacy of victims. CNN specifies that it has not been able to verify the entire contents of the archive, but that it has viewed much of the visual material it contains.
Sexual violence
The dossier was born from the work of several people, who met the survivors, rescuers, forensic experts and medical examiners. They then viewed 10,000 files of photographs and video clips of the attack, including hours of material recorded by the attackers.
The report contains direct testimonies from over 10 survivors. There is their painful story of the extreme sexual violence they suffered during the attack, their kidnapping or during their imprisonment in Gaza. There are former hostages who have decided to share the experience publicly, while others have confided only in doctors and investigators.
Two boys (minors) said they were sexually abused and forced by their captors to perform sexual acts on each other during their captivity.
Among the pages of the dossier there is also a detailed description of three separate incidents of rape that allegedly occurred at the Nova Music Festival, near the border with Gaza. This violence was reconstructed from the words of a survivor who was hiding in the immediate vicinity of the attack: “They passed her from hand to hand. She was probably injured, judging by her screams, screams that can’t be heard anywhere else.” Then there are those who say they have seen victims with their clothes torn and their private parts mutilated.
The report describes at least six other incidents in which people directly witnessed rapes and gang rapes, with all witnesses saying the victims were shot and killed. In one case, a witness said she saw a young woman raped by several men, mutilated and shot dead.
Premeditated action
Hamas’ violence had already been reported. The association of anti-sexual violence centers in Israel, various national and international journalistic investigations, a UN investigation have all highlighted that rape and sexual abuse were part of the attack. The new report goes further, calling the violence systematic and premeditated.
The difference is the big picture: the pattern underlying the violence is highlighted. The researchers examined photographs of many of the bodies and interviewed forensic experts, as well as people who worked on identifications at the Israeli Defense Forces Shura base, where most of the bodies were taken. They said dozens of victims were hit by bullets or burned in the chest and groin, mutilations that were often inflicted after death.
“Sexual violence is intended to torture and humiliate. They mutilated the victims’ intimate organs, burned their genital areas, causing pain and suffering that will be remembered for generations” according to the researchers.