A new report by Amnesty International has found Palestinian militant group Hamas committed crimes against humanity during its attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, as well as against hostages it took to Gaza.
WARNING: This story contains images and details some people may find distressing.
The London-based human rights group said its report, published on Wednesday, analysed patterns of the attack, communications between fighters during the assault and statements by Hamas and the leaders of other armed groups.
Amnesty interviewed 70 people, including survivors and victims' families, forensic experts and medical professionals, visited some attack sites and reviewed more than 350 videos and photographs of attack scenes and of hostages during their captivity.
Its investigation found that the crimes against humanity included murder, extermination, imprisonment, torture, rape and other forms of sexual abuse and inhumane acts.
"These crimes were committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack against a civilian population. The report found that fighters were instructed to carry out attacks targeting civilians," Amnesty said.
Hamas denied in a statement that it had carried out the crimes mentioned in the report and urged Amnesty International to retract it.
Israeli officials did not immediately comment on the report.
Around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the Hamas attack in 2023, and more than 250 people were taken hostage including children, according to Israeli tallies and Amnesty.
Of those taken hostage, 168 were eventually returned alive, either as a result of ceasefire negotiations or by being freed during Israeli military operations.
The remaining hostages died in captivity, and were returned to Israel as bodies, except for one set of remains which is still unaccounted-for.
Hamas's attack precipitated Israel's war in Gaza, which has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, and left the vast majority of the small territory in ruins, and much of its population homeless.
A December 2024 report by Amnesty determined that Israel had committed genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza in response to the October 7, 2023 attacks.
Israel has rejected genocide accusations, and says its war has been against Hamas, not the Palestinians.
Reuters/ABC
