Hamas terrorists committed sexual assaults and acts of rape “systematically and intentionally” and numerous times during the October 7 massacre. The sexual assaults and acts of rape were committed by multiple participants and included sadistic practices characterized by brutal, demonstrative features.
This has been documented in the first official report released by the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel regarding the Hamas attack on October 7.
The report is the first official research since October 7, consolidating evidence and providing conclusions.
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In the past few months, numerous accounts of Hamas atrocities have trickled down to the public at large. These include not only rape – of both men and women – but also the defiling of the dead bodies of victims killed in the attacks – both male and female remains.
The Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel listed four main arenas of sexual abuse that it identified.
The report “clearly demonstrates” that the barbaric assaults that were committed on what is now known in Israel as the “Black Shabbat (Sabbath)” were neither isolated incidents committed by a few terrorists of their own volition, nor were they committed on the spur of the moment. They were the result of a “clear operational strategy involving systematic, targeted sexual abuse.”
Hamas prepared for this and ordered that these assaults be carried out as part of the terror group’s overall plans for the attack.
The report focuses on sexual and gender-based violence during the massacre of October 7, 2023, and the war that ensued, serving as a primary testimonial foundation indicating widespread sexual crimes. It was written by, Dr. Carmit Klar Chalamish, head of the research department at the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel, and Noga Berger, director of content at the organization.
Orit Sulitzeanu, CEO of the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel, said that this report “leaves no room” for “denial or disregard” by the people at the UN.
“The terrorist organization Hamas chose to harm Israel strategically in two clear ways,” she added, “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.”
The report analyzes numerous confidential and public pieces of information, including testimonies, interviews with official and non-official first responders, information permitted for publication in various media outlets, and direct information received by the ARCCI.
Findings
The Hamas attack included brutal acts of violent rape, often involving threats with weapons, specifically directed towards injured women. 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. 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.
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.”
Many victims’ bodies were found mutilated and bound, with sexual organs brutally attacked, and in some cases, weapons were inserted into them.
Analysis of the information reveals that sexual and gender-based violence occurred systematically in 4 arenas:
1. Nova Festival (Re’im music festival) –testimonies from survivors significantly indicate severe sexual assaults in the festival arena. There are eyewitness and earwitness testimonies of group rape. These testimonies align with descriptions from first responders and corpse-handling personnel.
2. Kibbutzim – Testimonies from first responders and corpse-handling personnel reveal signs of sexual assault in the scenes of the massacre. Many cases involve heinous attacks on women and girls, including a case of hiding a knife in a genital organ. Additional information was received by the ARCCI but cannot be disclosed due to privacy concerns.
3. IDF bases – Bodies of female soldiers exhibited clear signs of sexual violence.
4. Captivity – 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.
According to Dr. Carmit Klar-Chalamish and Noga Berger, the report’s authors, “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 two went on to say that the assaults were carried out in a manner that was “aimed to reinforce their impact on the victims and their communities, which failed to prevent the harm.”
“As the scars in our hearts refuse to heal,” they said, “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.”
About the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel
The Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel was founded in 1990 as an umbrella organization, bringing together nine rape crisis centers across the country, addressing around 50,000 calls each year. The organization operates as an agency for social change, complementing and relying on the individual work carried out at the centers. The ARCCI works to promote rights and services for survivors of sexual abuse, adopt preventive measures, and reduce the prevalence of the phenomenon in Israel. The various services provided by the rape crisis centers and the ARCCI are the result of over three decades of experience, creating a professional knowledge base regarding the characteristics and implications of sexual assault on survivors and society as a whole.
