Hamas Systematically Perpetrated Hundreds of War Crimes in October 7 Attack, Extensive HRW Report Finds

Human Rights Watch (HRW) determined that the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas committed "numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity" in the attacks in Israel on October 7, in which almost 1.200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.

"Human Rights Watch's investigation concluded that the Hamas-led assault on October 7 was designed to kill civilians and take as many people hostage as possible," said the group's crisis and conflict director, Ida Sawyer, in her statement. latest report.

In the report "I Can't Erase All the Blood from My Mind: The October 7 Assault by Palestinian Armed Groups in Israel," HRW concludes that Islamists committed hundreds of crimes against humanity: targeting civilians, deliberate killing of detained persons, cruel and inhuman treatment, sexual and gender violence, hostage taking, mutilation and looting of corpses, use of human shields and looting and pillage.

The basic principle of humanitarian law is that all parties to a conflict must at all times distinguish between combatants and civilians, "who should never be the target of an attack," reminds HRW.

In this sense, HRW highlighted that 815 of the 1.195 people killed that day were civilians. And of the 251 kidnapped in the assault - of which 116 remain in Gaza, 42 of them dead - the majority are civilians.

These actions were not "an afterthought, a botched plan or isolated acts," says the organization, which has studied the testimonies of victims, relatives, assistance teams and medical experts, as well as more than 280 photographs and videos, to prepare the report. of the assault.

"Hamas authorities responded to HRW's questions by stating that they ordered their forces not to attack civilians and not to deviate from human rights and humanitarian law," says HRW, which claims to have "found evidence to the contrary."

In the videos of the attack, Palestinian terrorists are seen actively searching for civilians and murdering them, proving the intentionality of the attacks and hostage-taking, which was "planned and highly coordinated."

HRW said it requires further investigation to prove other crimes, such as the persecution of identifiable groups on racial, ethnic or religious grounds or the commission of rape or other acts of sexual violence.

In this regard, the organization identified crimes by Palestinian terrorists such as subjecting hostages to forced nudity or the dissemination of sexualized images without their consent.

The HRW report highlights the "incredibly organized and coordinated nature" of the attacks on cities, kibbutz communities, music festivals and military bases around Gaza.

"At many attack sites, combatants fired directly at civilians, often at close range, who were trying to flee, and at people driving vehicles in the area," the report said. "They threw grenades and shot at safe rooms and other shelters and fired rocket-propelled grenades at houses. "They set fire to some houses, burned and suffocated people, and expelled others whom they later captured or killed."

HRW says it "found evidence of acts of sexual and gender-based violence by combatants, including forced nudity and the non-consensual posting of sexualized images on social media."

The report cites a team of the special envoy of the ONU on sexual violence in conflict that says it interviewed people “who reported witnessing rape and other types of sexual violence,” including “rape and gang rape, in at least three locations.”

But it says the full extent of sexual and gender-based violence "will probably never be fully known," as victims have died, or stigma will prevent them from speaking out, or Israeli first responders "largely" failed to collect relevant evidence in time. real in the midst of the chaos of that day.

In a response to the HRW report, Hamas alleges that its military wing, the Izz ad Din al Qassam Brigades, planned and led the October 7 attack, and not the political movement Hamas, and that fighters were instructed not to attack civilians.

HRW pointed out that it has found that Hamas' response is "false" and that "the intentional killing and hostage-taking of civilians was planned and highly coordinated."
Agencies contributed to this Aurora article