'Silenced No More' presents comprehensive evidentiary record of sexual atrocities committed on October 7

https://www.civilc.org

After a two-year independent investigation, the Civil Commission has reached a clear conclusion: Sexual and gender-based violence was systematic, widespread and integral to the October 7, 2023 attack and their aftermath. This report is the first to systematically assemble, verify and analyze the evidence on sexual and gender-based violence during the attacks and in captivity, drawing on a uniquely constructed and independently secured war crimes archive.

Led by Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, the Civil Commission was established after October 7, 2023 to document alleged war crimes and gender-based violence committed by Hamas, allied Palestinian armed groups, and other participants in the attack. The investigation draws on legal scholars, international jurists, researchers, archivists, trauma experts, and human rights specialists.

What emerges is not a collection of isolated incidents, but a coherent and repeated pattern of violence, carried out across multiple locations and phases, from the initial attacks, through abduction and transfer, to prolonged captivity and the deliberate digital circulation of abuse.

For the first time, these crimes can be understood in their full scope, structure and operational logic and documented in a way that establishes a clear foundation for accountability.

Across homes, roads, shelters, the Nova music festival, military bases and during captivity in Gaza, Hamas and its collaborators used sexual violence as a widespread and systematic tactic. These were not isolated incidents. They followed recurring, organized patterns across multiple locations and phases of the attack, including during abduction, transfer, and prolonged captivity.

About the Report

"Silenced No More" presents the most comprehensive evidentiary record to date of the sexual atrocities committed on October 7 and during captivity.

Developed over two years, the report is based on a uniquely constructed and independently secured war crimes archive. It provides the first systematic, case-based account of these crimes, tracing sexual violence across the full continuum of events, from the attacks themselves, through abduction and transfer, to prolonged captivity and the continued digital circulation of abuse.

The findings establish that sexual violence was not incidental, it was deliberate, coordinated, and embedded in the attack itself.
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The Commission’s findings are grounded in an unprecedented body of reviewed documentation:

• Over 10,000 photographs and video segments; 

• More than 1,800 hours of visual material; 

• 430+ testimonies and interviews with survivors, witnesses, released hostages, experts, and family members; and 

• Victims from 52 nationalities, in addition to Israeli victims. 
 
Because the Commission began collecting evidence immediately after the attacks, the archive preserves materials that are no longer publicly available, including original footage, communications, and testimonies that were later removed or lost. All materials were systematically logged, coded, and cross-referenced across time and location, and analyzed using geolocation-supported datasets, expert consultation, and interdisciplinary review. The investigation was conducted in accordance with internationally recognized standards, applying trauma-informed and survivor-centered methodologies guided by the principle of “do no harm.”

This rigorous approach enabled the Commission not only to document individual incidents, but to identify patterns, reconstruct events, and establish a coherent evidentiary record that could not previously be seen in its entirety.
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The investigation identified 13 recurring forms of sexual and gender-based violence across multiple sites.

These include:
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• Rape and gang rape;

• Sexual torture and mutilation; 

• Forced nudity; 

• Executions linked to sexual violence; 

• Postmortem sexual abuse; and 

• Sexual assaults carried out in the presence of family members. 

Perpetrators recorded, live-streamed and distributed acts of abuse and torture through social media and victims’ own digital accounts. In many cases, families first learned of the fate of their loved ones through images and videos sent by perpetrators. The repetition of these patterns demonstrates that the crimes were not isolated acts of brutality, but part of a broader operational method used during the attack and its aftermath.

The report provides a clear evidentiary and legal roadmap for prosecution.
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It outlines pathways to hold accountable: Direct perpetrators, those who planned, ordered, or enabled the crimes and actors who facilitated or amplified the violence.

For the full report, visit https://www.civilc.org.