Hamas Forced Captives From Israel To Have Sex With Family Members: Report

An independent Israeli investigation has detailed what it describes as a campaign of "systematic, widespread" sexual violence carried out by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups during the October 7, 2023 attacks and throughout the hostage crisis that followed.

The 300-page report alleges that rape, sexual torture and humiliation were used intentionally "to maximise pain and suffering", targeting not only individuals but entire families and communities. 

According to the BBC, the findings are based on more than 430 interviews with survivors, eyewitnesses and former hostages, alongside over 10,000 photographs and videos recovered from attack sites and footage filmed by the attackers themselves. The inquiry is considered one of the most extensive examinations yet into allegations of sexual violence during the assault in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.

Women Assaulted Both Alive And After Death

According to the report, women were assaulted both alive and after death, with witnesses recounting scenes of rape, mutilation and public degradation. Several testimonies describe victims being executed during or after sexual assault while bodies were allegedly displayed as trophies.

Investigators described some of the crimes as "kinocidal sexual violence", acts intended to shatter family structures and inflict long-term psychological devastation. Among the allegations are cases in which captives were threatened with forced marriage to captors and instances where relatives held together were allegedly coerced into performing sexual acts on one another.

"These acts weaponise the deepest human bonds to maximise pain and psychological devastation," the report read. "They exacerbate emotional distress and trauma beyond the initial acts and often create multigenerational trauma."

Relatives Forced Into Sexual Acts

One section of the report details allegations involving two young relatives who were reportedly forced into sexual acts by their captors. Investigators said the case reflected what they called "a distinct pattern of violence targeting family members and exploiting familial relationships as instruments of terror".

Nova music festival survivor Raz Cohen described witnessing one of the attacks in testimony included in the report.

"The men pulled a woman from the vehicle ... forcibly removed her clothing, and raped her ... They repeatedly stabbed her, killing her ... They continued to rape her after her death," Cohen told i24 News.

Another survivor, Darin Komarov, recalled hearing the assaults unfold nearby.

"You hear it. It's right next to you. You hear the screams," he said. "And then you hear silence."

The report states that much of the alleged abuse took place during the massacres in Israeli communities and at the Nova music festival near the Gaza border, where more than 370 people were killed. However, investigators said sexual violence also continued during captivity inside Gaza, including in tunnels and safe houses where hostages were held for months.

Former hostage Agam Goldstein, who was held for more than a month before being released, described the psychological toll of captivity.

"It's these little things that break you. When you have no control over your body and no control over how to take care of your body," the 17-year-old said.

The commission also concluded that men, boys and elderly victims were subjected to sexual violence during the attacks and in captivity.

"Sexual Violence Was Deliberate Strategy"

Witnesses cited in the report described seeing or hearing gang rapes at the Nova festival and in overrun kibbutzim and military bases. Multiple testimonies referred to bodies found partially unclothed or showing signs of genital mutilation. One male survivor alleged he had been treated like a "sex doll" by attackers.

The commission concluded that the acts documented in the investigation constituted war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide, according to the New York Post.

"The report reveals that sexual violence was a deliberate strategy, carried out with exceptional cruelty," said commission founder Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy.

"For two years, we have listened to survivors and witnesses, painstakingly examined the evidence, and confronted material that is often beyond comprehension."