A new report alleges that sexual violence was systematically used during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel as part of a broader genocidal strategy. The findings, based on testimonies from survivors and former hostages, suggest that the acts were not random but rather tactical — intended to terrorize and dehumanize the Israeli population.
The report presents a detailed legal framework for prosecuting these acts, even in cases where individual perpetrators cannot be clearly identified. It includes evidence from witness statements, survivor accounts, forensic materials, and visual documentation. Among the most disturbing claims is that sexual violence occurred at multiple locations during the attack, particularly at the Nova music festival, military installations, and along major roadways.
Survivors recount a range of abuses, including rape, gang rape, forced nudity, and sexualized torture. One woman described an attempted rape and other sexual assaults during the Nova festival. Another, a former hostage, recounted being forced into a sexual act after enduring repeated harassment and abuse. Six others reported being subjected to forced nudity, while nearly all former hostages cited verbal and physical harassment. Some also reported threats of forced marriage.
Two male hostages shared that they, too, were subjected to forced nudity and abuse, with one detailing the shaving of all body hair as a form of humiliation. These testimonies suggest that such acts were not isolated incidents but part of a wider pattern of violence.
Witness accounts further corroborate the scale of abuse. Several described seeing or hearing incidents of sexual violence, including multiple cases of gang rape, individual rapes, and severe sexual assaults. There were also reports of sexual assaults in captivity and instances of mutilation. These events occurred not only during the initial attacks but continued while some victims were held in Gaza.
First responders added further layers to the evidence, reporting signs of sexual violence across several attack sites. These included physical trauma, disfigurement, and positioning of bodies that indicated abuse. Many victims, however, may never be able to share their stories—some were killed during the attack, and others remain too traumatized to speak.
The report proposes a global legal model for addressing such crimes, stressing that justice must not be hindered by the chaos of war, the lack of direct testimony, or the inability to trace each act to a named individual. The legal strategy includes tools for categorizing and validating evidence, even when fragmented, and for establishing responsibility within larger groups that orchestrate mass violence.
Ultimately, the report argues that prosecuting sexual violence in armed conflict is not only about individual justice but also about upholding international law. It aims to ensure such crimes do not go unanswered and to signal that perpetrators of sexual violence in warfare will face accountability, regardless of the complexity of their crimes.
