Warning: the following features highly disturbing details. Discretion is advised.
“Many rape incidents occurred collectively, with collaboration among the perpetrating terrorists. In some cases, rape was conducted in front of an audience, such as partners, family, or friends, to increase the pain and humiliation for all present,” reads the first official report of the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel regarding the Hamas attack on October 7.
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“Some Hamas members pursued victims who escaped the massacre, dragging them by their hair with screams. The majority of victims were subsequently killed during or after the sexual assault.”
Already in the first week following the attack, information about sexual assaults carried out during the assault began pouring into the Association of Rape Crisis Centers.
According to Dr. Carmit Klar-Chalamish and Noga Berger, the report's authors, “a significant portion of those we considered partners responded in silence and denial of these horrors. We call on you to raise your voices and not allow the cries of these victims to fade away.”
The report, published Wednesday morning, analyzes dozens of classified and public pieces of information, including eyewitness and earwitness testimonies, interviews with rescue and medical teams, information cleared for publication in print and electronic media, and inquiries received by the association.
“After gathering the information, a cataloging and analysis process was undertaken to map the areas and patterns of sexual crimes,” the report states.
“The report does not provide quantitative information due to the nature of the events, most of which resulted in the victims' deaths, making their full extent unknown and possibly unknowable.”
The report's findings indicate that the Hamas attack included violent rapes, carried out under the threat of weapons, with some incidents specifically targeting injured women.
“Several testimonies, interviews, and additional sources indicate the use of sadistic practices by Hamas terrorists, aimed at intensifying the humiliation and fear of sexual abuse,” it further stated.
“Many victims' bodies were found mutilated and bound, with sexual organs brutally attacked, and in some cases, weapons were inserted into them. Some bodies were discovered deliberately booby-trapped. It is essential to note that the report details only information from identified sources permitted for publication, while analysis includes additional confidential information that cannot be disclosed publicly.”
Analysis of the information reveals that sexual and gender-based violations systematically occurred across all types of locations where the October 7 massacre took place, as well as in captivity.
At the Nova rave, videos and testimonies from revelers provide clear evidence of multiple severe sexual assaults at the music festival.
“There are eyewitness and earwitness testimonies of group rape. These testimonies align with descriptions from first responders and corpse-handling personnel.”
The report presents several testimonies from massacre survivors who witnessed incidents of gang rape, where women were passed between terrorists who beat, injured, and ultimately murdered them.
Testimonies from first responders and corpse-handling personnel in southern kibbutzim and communities indicate that many homes showed signs of rapes committed close to the time of murder, with a significant number of these incidents occurring in the presence or vicinity of family members.
“Many cases involve heinous attacks on women and girls, including a case of hiding a knife in a genital organ,” the report reads. “Additional information was received by the ARCCI but cannot be disclosed due to privacy concerns.”
The report includes several testimonies, among them that of Noam Mark, a member of the alert squad at Kibbutz Re'im, who found the bodies of three young women from the nova rave in one of the kibbutz homes. The bodies were found naked, with clear signs of severe sexual violence.
According to the report, these violations also occurred at IDF bases. Bodies of female soldiers that arrived at Camp Shura for forensic identification bore unmistakable signs of sexual violence.
“Information regarding sexual assaults in captivity has been published following the testimonies of those who returned from captivity. These testimonies include various cases, including those of captives who are still alive.”
The report indicates that sexual crimes were systematically and deliberately committed during and after the October 7 terror attack, characterized by multiple assailants, assaults in front of family members, executions and accompanied by unique sadistic practices.
"The brutal practices used on October 7, such as genital mutilation of girls, women, and men, shooting, and weapon insertion, were designed to destroy and inflict sadistic terror,” the report authors stated.
According to the authors, the manner in which the assaults were carried out and the actions that accompanied them were intended to maximize the impact on the victims and their communities, which were unable to prevent the attacks.
“As the scars in our hearts refuse to heal, and the souls of our sisters and brothers cry out to us from the depths of the earth, a significant portion of those we considered partners responded in silence and denial of these horrors. We call on you to raise your voices and not allow the cries of these victims to fade away,” they say.
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The scene of the Nova rave, which came under Hamas attack
(Photo: AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
This report, the first official study since October 7, aggregates testimonies and provides conclusions, demonstrating that the incidents were not anomalies or isolated occurrences but rather part of a deliberate and systematic strategy of extremely cruel sexual abuse, establishing an initial evidentiary basis for the widespread perpetration of sexual crimes.
"The report, submitted to decision-makers at the UN, leaves no room for denial or disregard,” said Orit Sulitzeanu, CEO of the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel.
“The terrorist organization Hamas chose to harm Israel strategically in two clear ways – kidnapping citizens and committing sadistic sexual crimes. Silence is no longer an option. We expect international organizations to take a clear stance; we cannot stand on the sidelines. Silence will be remembered as a historical stain on those who chose to remain silent and deny the sexual crimes committed by Hamas.”