ALBAWABA - An Israeli investigation committee claimed that Hamas fighters and their allies committed "systematic, widespread" sexual violence during the October 7, 2023, attack.
A 300‑page report was shared on Tuesday by an independent Israeli investigative commission that accused Hamas fighters of sexual violence against hostages they took back to Gaza.
"Following a two-year independent investigation, the Civil Commission concludes that sexual and gender-based violence was systematic, widespread, and integral to the October 7th attacks and their aftermath," the body said in the report.
"Sexualised torture persisted during captivity in Gaza for prolonged periods. In some cases, the sexual and gender-based abuse of hostages continued for months," it further claimed.
It is worth noting that back in 2023, Israel accused Hamas of committing sexual attacks against hostages, an accusation which the Palestinian group denied.
According to the committee, the report was conducted based on previous investigations, including those by the UN, to determine the full scale of the sexual violence during the October 7 attack, in which Hamas fighters infiltrated Israel and took over 200 Israeli hostages back to Gaza.
The panel reportedly said to have systematically reviewed over 10,000 photographs and video segments of the attack, amounting to more than 1,800 cumulative hours of analysis of visuals.
