Oct. 7: Report reveals that Hamas used sexual violence as a systematic and planned weapon

A comprehensive report published by the Israeli news portal Ynet exposed the stark reality of sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas during the Oct. 7 massacre and in captivity. Entitled Project Dinah, the 84-page document, prepared by experts from the Center for the Advancement of Women at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, reveals that the terrorist group used sexual abuse as a planned and systematic weapon of war.

Patterns of sexual violence in multiple settings

The report documents at least 16 cases of serious sexual assault, including four cases of gang rape, occurring in at least six locations: the Nova music festival; Highway 232; the Nahal Oz military base; and Kibbutz Reim, Nir Oz and Kfar Aza. According to the report, "clear patterns in the execution of sexual violence" include victims found naked or partially naked, often with their hands tied to trees or poles, and cases of gang rapes followed by executions. In addition, there were reports of deliberate mutilations on the genitals and, in three cases, the insertion of metal objects into the victims' bodies, suggesting an intentional and repetitive practice.

In captivity, the hostages were also abused. Survivors reported forced nudity, physical and verbal harassment, sexual aggression and threats of rape or forced marriages. A prominent testimony is that of Keith Siegel, who described in statements to "60 Minutes" how the captors shaved the men's body hair, including the genital area, to strip them of their sexual and gender identity.

Voices of survivors and witnesses

The report is based on first-hand testimonies, including those of a survivor of rape at the Nova festival, 15 former hostages, 17 eyewitnesses or hearing witnesses and 27 rescuers, as well as visual evidence. One survivor, Amit Soussana, told international media how she was sexually assaulted under armed threat, beaten and chained, while her captor forced her to report her menstrual cycle. Another survivor, Mia Regev, told U.N. ambassadors how Hamas terrorists ripped off her clothes and taunted her. In addition one of the Islamists guarding her told her he would kill her if Israeli soldiers came near where they were.

Ron Freger, a survivor of the Nova festival, told Ynet that he heard women screaming from the bushes saying, "They are raping me, help me." Despite his powerlessness to intervene, his account is consistent with others describing at least four cases of gang rape. Many of the survivors, according to the report, suffer trauma so severe that they are still unable to share their experiences.

Evidence from rescuers and forensics

Rescue teams, paramedics and ZAKA (disaster victim identification program) volunteers who arrived at the scenes of the massacre reported heartbreaking findings. The report states that dozens of bodies of naked or semi-naked women were found with signs of rape and with gunshot wounds in the genital area.

Also documented were burns to the genitals and cases of objects inserted into intimate areas of both female and male victims. These observations, supported by images and videos, reinforce the conclusion that the abuse was deliberate and coordinated.

A call for international justice

The authors of the report, led by Israeli legal scholar Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, insist that sexual violence must be recognized as a weapon of war. "We are saying out loud: sexual violence in conflict is a weapon. It is not random, it is not directed only at individuals, and it does not occur without direction from above," Halperin-Kaddari told Ynet.

The report seeks to establish a legal basis for prosecuting Hamas perpetrators, even without directly linking each perpetrator to a specific victim, through collective criminal responsibility.

Ilana Gritzewsky, a survivor from Nir Oz, shared her experience at the report's launch. "I remember hands that were not mine touching me. I screamed, and then darkness. I woke up half-naked, surrounded by terrorists who beat and touched me," she said. After 55 days in captivity, she said: "I am not really free, because freedom only exists when no one has to go through what I went through." Her testimony, along with the report, underscores the urgency of freeing the remaining hostages and ensuring justice.

A precedent

The "Dina Project," according to Ynet, not only documents the horrors of Oct. 7, but also sets a precedent for addressing sexual violence in armed conflict. By exposing Hamas' calculated brutality, the report demands that the international community act to prevent and punish these crimes, giving voice to the victims and survivors still struggling to heal.