Israeli commission finds sexual violence
- An Israeli commission concluded Hamas "systematically" used sexual violence during the October 7 attacks and against captives held in Gaza, the report found. - Several former hostages have spoken publicly, describing alleged sexual assaults while captive in Gaza, supplying firsthand accounts that echo the commission's conclusions. - The testimonies will harden political positions, shape public opinion, and complicate ceasefire talks and reconstruction plans. (aol.com) (nbcnews.com)
1/ An Israeli state commission released a report on May 13, 2026, concluding that Hamas militants "systematically" employed sexual violence as a weapon during the October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel and against hostages held in Gaza. 2/ The 260-page report, produced by the Israeli Commission for the Examination of the Events of October 7, 2023, details over 100 incidents of rape, gang rape, mutilation of genitals, and sexual humiliation based on forensic evidence, eyewitness accounts from first responders, and Hamas fighters' own videos. 3/ Commission chair Galit Sultanik, a former prosecutor, stated: "The sexual crimes were not isolated acts but part of a systematic policy of dehumanization." The panel interviewed 200 witnesses, including 15 released hostages who described repeated assaults in captivity. 4/ During the initial assault on communities like Kibbutz Be'eri and the Nova music festival, Hamas fighters committed rapes in homes, on roadsides, and at the festival site, the report found. Bodies showed signs of binding, burns to genitals, and foreign objects inserted post-mortem. 5/ Pramila Patten, UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, corroborated similar findings in a March 2024 UN report, documenting "reasonable grounds" for rape and gang rape on October 7 based on 34 witness interviews. 6/ On hostages in Gaza: The commission documented assaults on at least 10 women and girls held captive, including a 16-year-old raped repeatedly over 50 days. Former hostage Amit Soussana, 40, testified in February 2024 that her Hamas captor chained her, beat her, and sexually assaulted her with a metal rod. 7/ Another ex-hostage, 19-year-old Agam Berger, told Israel's Channel 12 in May 2026: "They groped us, touched us everywhere, threatened worse if we resisted." Five former hostages spoke publicly this week, aligning their accounts with the commission's evidence of "systematic" abuse in tunnels and holding sites. 8/ Hamas has denied systematic sexual violence, with spokesman
