Israeli Report Finds Hamas Systematically Used Sexual Violence on October 7

An independent Israeli investigative commission has concluded that Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups committed systematic, widespread sexual violence during the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel and against hostages held in Gaza. The 300-page report, released Tuesday, states that rapes, sexual assaults and sexual torture were intended to maximize pain and suffering.

It draws on 430 filmed interviews with survivors and witnesses, more than 10,000 photographs and videos filmed by attackers, official records and material from attack sites. Witnesses described violent gang rapes at the Nova music festival, where more than 370 people were killed.

Accounts include dead women found without underwear, corpses with genital mutilation, and a male survivor used like a "sex doll" by assailants. Many of those assaulted were shot in the head. The report documents that extreme forms of sexual and gender-based violence continued against hostages in captivity for prolonged periods, affecting both women and men.

It describes a distinct pattern of violence targeting family members, including forcing two young relatives to perform sex acts on each other. >"The report said sexual violence by Hamas and other attackers was systematic" — Yolande Knell, BBC, May 2026 (BBC) Hamas has repeatedly denied that sexual and gender-based violence took place during the attacks or against those held captive.

A previous United Nations investigation concluded there were reasonable grounds to believe that sexual violence, including gang rape, had been committed. The commission, established by an Israeli legal expert after initial accounts emerged, took care to cross-reference and fact-check evidence.

It did not use information from Israeli interrogations of detained suspects to maintain independence. Some early Israeli official accounts of violence proved false and forensic evidence was lost when first responders rushed to scenes. The report concludes the crimes constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocidal acts under international law.

Its evidence is being kept in a secure archive for potential future prosecutions. The commission aimed to create a historical record so victims' suffering would not be denied, erased or forgotten.

In a related legislative move, Israel passed a law permitting the death penalty and public trials for those linked to the October 7 attacks. " The FBI closed its investigation on March 19, 2025, determining Khalil did not warrant further scrutiny. Khalil, a former Columbia University student, had already been arrested by ICE two days after the tip and later moved to a Louisiana detention center.

The Trump administration continued to describe Khalil as a Hamas supporter despite the FBI finding. Khalil's legal team, including the Center for Constitutional Rights, argues his targeting stems from protected speech in support of Palestine. U.S. foreign policy interests.

In unrelated violence in Mexico, hundreds of Indigenous families fled their homes in Guerrero state after intensified attacks by the criminal group Los Ardillos. The gang subjected villages to eight hours of drone bombings and gunfire on Saturday, according to the National Indigenous Congress.

Between 800 and 1,000 households were displaced to other towns. At least four people were killed. Videos showed women and children sobbing in a church as gunfire and explosions echoed across farmland and forests. 50 caliber weapons and set fire to hillsides after killing animals.

Carlos González García, a spokesperson for the National Indigenous Congress, said the attacks targeted community self-defense police forces and aimed to force villagers to grow opium poppies. He accused local government of collusion with the gangs. Three joint military, national guard and state police bases in the area took no action, he said.

Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, stated that authorities were working to protect the population with national guard presence and assistance for displaced families. A recent study found the number of people displaced by violence in Mexico more than doubled from 2023 to 2024.

Iran Warns U.S.

" The statement came as President Trump acknowledged a ceasefire was faltering and violence continued in Lebanon. The various developments reflect ongoing tensions stemming from the October 7, 2023 attacks, which killed about 1,200 people in Israel and led to 251 hostages being taken.

The ensuing war in Gaza has killed 72,742 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.