The United Nations released a report on Monday that outlined their findings from a preliminary investigation into the campaign of rape that Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists inflicted upon people inside of Israel during their unprecedented terrorist attack on October 7.
The U.N.’s team reviewed thousands of photos, 50 hours of footage, and interviewed dozens of witnesses and survivors from the Islamic terrorist attack, including some of freed hostages. The team also visited four areas where significant activity occurred on that day, including Nahal Oz military base, kibbutz Be’eri, the Nova music festival site, and Road 232.
The report said in-part about the events of October 7:
Based on the information gathered by the mission team from multiple and independent sources, there are reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence occurred during the 7 October attacks in multiple locations across Gaza periphery, including rape and gang rape, in at least three locations. Across the various locations of the 7 October attacks, the mission team found that several fully naked or partially naked bodies from the waist down were recovered – mostly women – with hands tied and shot multiple times, often in the head. Although circumstantial, such a pattern of undressing and restraining of victims may be indicative of some forms of sexual violence.
At the Nova music festival and its surroundings, there are reasonable grounds to believe that multiple incidents of sexual violence took place with victims being subjected to rape and/or gang rape and then killed or killed while being raped. Credible sources described finding murdered individuals, mostly women, whose bodies were naked from their waist down – and some totally naked – tied with their hands behind their backs, many of whom were shot in the head. On Road 232, credible information based on witness accounts describe an incident of the rape of two women by armed elements. …
The mission team received credible information about bodies found naked and/or tied, and in one case gagged, in some of the kibbutz’ destroyed houses and their surroundings.
Buried deep in the report were the team’s findings about what the hostages have been subjected to by the terrorists:
The mission team reviewed incidents of alleged sexual violence related to hostages in Gaza. Based on the first-hand accounts of released hostages, the mission team received clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape, sexualized torture, and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment occurred against some women and children during their time in captivity and has reasonable grounds to believe that this violence may be ongoing.
Based on first-hand accounts of released hostages there are reasonable grounds to believe that female hostages were also subjected to other forms of sexual violence.
The team had a difficult time speaking with survivors of the extreme sexual violence for a variety of reasons, including that many were undergoing treatment and were
“experiencing severe mental distress and trauma” from the attacks and were unable to be interviewed. The U.N.’s investigators found that they were widely distrusted by those who experienced the October 7 attacks as the organization has a long history of anti-Semitism and members of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) were involved in carrying out the attacks.
The report said that trust in “international organizations, such as the United Nations, are at an all-time low amongst many survivors and/or witnesses of the 7 October attacks.”
“Another factor impeding the access to more survivors and/or witnesses of the attacks with potential information is the fact that many civilians from the attacked kibbutzim were internally displaced after 7 October 2023, and many individuals that attended the Nova music festival are scattered throughout Israel, with some having moved to or returned to third countries.” the report said.
The U.N. said that some of the released hostages did not want to come forward because they had “well-founded fears about the risk of revealing their stories, which may result in their identification and further harm to them as well as to those still in captivity. The mission team further noted the fact that the identities of some of them have been publicly disclosed in both national and international media, often with their names and photos, which has contributed to some choosing to remain silent.”
