In the roughly two-and-a-half years since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks, Israel has presented extensive evidence of terrorists subjecting women and girls to sexual violence both during the attacks and subsequently in captivity in Gaza. A report released on Tuesday by the Civil Commission on Oct. 7 Crimes Against Women and Children aims to get the attention of both prosecutors and parliamentarians worldwide, according to the independent Israeli nonprofit.
Report's Goals and Impact
“The most important impact that is achieved from this work is recognition in the historical record of what happened to the victims,” Cochav Elkayam-Levy, founder of the commission, told JNS. “We aim now for institutional recognition and to bring the report to parliaments around the world.”
“The report is also a legal and historical foundation for accountability,” which “provides a prosecution-oriented framework for future investigations into war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocidal acts,” said Elkayam-Levy, a lawyer who has previously advised the Israeli attorney general.
Framework for Accountability
“It maps patterns, identifies operational methods and outlines avenues for responsibility that extend beyond direct perpetrators to those who planned, facilitated, amplified or enabled these crimes,” she told JNS. “We also believe the report advances the international legal understanding of conflict-related sexual violence, particularly through the concept of kinocidal sexual violence—a term we coined to describe sexual violence intended to torture families and exploit familial bonds to increase the suffering of the victims.”
On a broader level, Elkayam-Levy hopes that the report “becomes a watershed moment in how the international community responds to sexual violence in armed conflict.”
Investigation Details
The report is based on an investigation spanning 10,000 photographs and videos, 430 testimonies and interviews and more than 1,800 hours of footage, including footage recorded by the terrorists. Sexual and gender-based violence occurred at multiple locations during the Hamas-led assault, including at the Nova music festival, kibbutzes, roads and military bases, and it continued during the abduction of hostages and their captivity in Gaza, according to the commission.
Patterns of Abuse
The report identified recurring patterns of abuse across attack sites. Investigators concluded that the repetition of these acts demonstrated that they were “not isolated acts of brutality but formed part of a broader operational method used during the attack and its aftermath.” Testimonies from survivors, released hostages, first responders and medical personnel described assaults committed during the attacks and in captivity. Several former hostages reported ongoing sexual abuse while held in Gaza.
