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8h ago

Dinah Project Details Hamas’s Systematic Use of Sexual Violence in Oct. 7 Assault

It uses survivor testimony coupled with forensic analysis to outline a legal pathway for UN blacklisting of Hamas under joint criminal responsibility.

A copy of the report by the Dinah Project on sexual violence committed on Oct. 7, 2023 by Hamas is displayed by a journalist before a ceremony presenting the report to Israel's first lady Michal Herzog in Jerusalem, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
A woman holds a copy of the report titled 'A Quest for Justice' on Sexual Violence during the Oct.7 2023 Hamas attack at the President House in Jerusalem July 8, 2025, REUTERS/ Dedi Hayun

Overview

  • The Dinah Project’s 84-page report consolidates evidence from 17 witnesses, 15 returned hostages, first responders and multimedia sources into a cohesive account of sexual violence on Oct. 7, 2023.
  • Documented abuses at six locations—including the Nova music festival, Route 232 and multiple kibbutzim—involve forced nudity, gang rape, genital mutilation and threats of forced marriage, with many victims killed before they could testify.
  • The legal framework calls for joint criminal responsibility for all participants in the assault and recommends specialized prosecutorial reforms to address conflict-related sexual violence.
  • The report urges the United Nations secretary-general to blacklist Hamas as an entity that deploys sexual violence as a weapon of war and to convene a UN fact-finding mission to reinforce accountability.
  • Its release comes as ceasefire negotiations in the 21-month Gaza war inch forward with dozens of hostages still held in Gaza and international debate over legal and humanitarian responses.