Silenced No more- Sexual Terror Unveiled: The Untold atrocities of october 7 and against Ostages in captivity

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https://www.civilc.org/silenced-no-more

Silenced No More : ce que révèle réellement le rapport sur les violences sexuelles du 7 octobre

Le rapport Silenced No More – Sexual Terror Unveiled n’est pas un texte militant ordinaire.
C’est un document de près de 300 pages élaboré par la Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children, une commission indépendante israélienne réunissant juristes internationaux, chercheurs, médecins, archivistes, spécialistes du droit humanitaire et experts des crimes de guerre.

Son ambition est claire : établir un dossier documentaire, juridique et historique sur les violences sexuelles commises lors du massacre du 7 octobre 2023 et durant la captivité des otages à Gaza.

Le rapport repose notamment sur :

plus de 430 témoignages,
environ 1 800 heures d’analyses vidéo et visuelles,
des archives médico-légales,
des récits d’otages,
des enquêtes de terrain,
des analyses juridiques internationales.

La thèse centrale du rapport

Le document soutient une idée majeure :

Les violences sexuelles du 7 octobre ne furent ni accidentelles, ni marginales, ni le fait d’individus isolés.

Selon les auteurs, elles relèvent d’un mode opératoire systématique intégré à l’attaque elle-même.

Le rapport affirme que le Hamas et certains groupes ayant participé aux massacres ont utilisé :

le viol,
les mutilations sexuelles,
la nudité forcée,
la torture sexuelle,
l’humiliation des corps,
et la destruction symbolique des liens familiaux,

comme armes de terreur.

Ce que documente le rapport

Le document recense des violences sur plusieurs sites :

le festival Nova,
la route 232,
différents kibboutzim,
des bases militaires,
les lieux de rassemblement des corps,
ainsi que les lieux de captivité des otages à Gaza.

Les auteurs décrivent plusieurs « patterns » récurrents.

1. Violences sexuelles et viols collectifs

Le rapport évoque :

des viols,
des viols collectifs,
des agressions sexuelles commises avant l’exécution des victimes,
des corps retrouvés partiellement nus ou ligotés,
des atteintes ciblant les organes génitaux.

2. Tortures et mutilations

Le document décrit :

des mutilations sexuelles,
des brûlures volontaires,
des actes de torture infligés avant la mort,
des tirs dirigés vers le visage, la poitrine ou les parties génitales.

Le rapport insiste sur le caractère à la fois physique et symbolique de ces violences.

3. Violences contre les otages

Une partie importante concerne les otages détenus à Gaza.

Le rapport évoque :

des humiliations sexuelles,
des violences physiques,
des menaces,
des privations,
des agressions durant la captivité,
et un climat de domination psychologique permanente.

Le concept de « kinocide »

L’une des contributions théoriques majeures du rapport est l’usage du terme : « Kinocide ». Les auteurs utilisent ce concept pour désigner une violence visant non seulement les individus, mais les liens humains eux-mêmes :

destruction des familles,
exécutions devant les proches,
instrumentalisation des enfants,
atteintes aux relations affectives,
usage des réseaux sociaux pour exposer la terreur en direct.

Le rapport considère que l’objectif dépassait le meurtre : il s’agissait aussi de pulvériser l’intimité, la filiation et la sécurité familiale.

Le silence international au cœur du document

Un thème traverse tout le rapport : le silence.

Les auteurs dénoncent :

les réactions tardives d’organisations internationales,
les mises en doute immédiates des témoignages,
les relativisations politiques,
et parfois le déni pur et simple des violences sexuelles.

Plusieurs personnalités internationales soutiennent explicitement cette démarche :

Hillary Clinton,
Sheryl Sandberg,
Irwin Cotler,
François Zimeray,
Noëlle Lenoir,
David Crane,
ou encore Isabelle Rome, ambassadrice française pour les droits humains.

Sheryl Sandberg écrit notamment : « Les victimes n’étaient pas silencieuses — c’est le monde qui l’était »

Une démarche juridique autant qu’historique

Le rapport cherche à :

constituer des preuves exploitables,
établir des qualifications pénales,
préparer d’éventuelles poursuites internationales,
préserver les archives,
empêcher le négationnisme futur.

Les auteurs inscrivent explicitement leur travail dans l’histoire des grands dossiers internationaux sur les crimes de masse et les violences sexuelles en temps de guerre.

Ce que ce rapport veut empêcher

Au fond, Silenced No More poursuit un objectif simple :

empêcher que les violences sexuelles du 7 octobre disparaissent :

dans la confusion politique,
dans la guerre des récits,
dans la fatigue médiatique,
ou dans le relativisme contemporain.

Le rapport affirme qu’un second effacement peut succéder au massacre lui-même : celui du doute, du déni ou de l’indifférence. Et il entend précisément lutter contre cela.

Premières pages

THE CIVIL COMMISSION ON OCTOBER 7TH CRIMES BY HAMAS AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN

AUTHORS & CONTRIBUTORS

Principal Authors

Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy Adv. Merav Israeli-Amarant Adv. Meital Nir Tal

Adv. Olivia Flasch

Principal Contributor

Hon. Irwin Cotler, International Chair, Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights and former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Distinguished Contributors

Prof. David Crane, Founding Chief Prosecutor, UN Special Court for Sierra Leone

Prof. Nienke Grossman, Professor of Law, Co-Director, Center for International and Comparative Law, University of Baltimore Law School

Prof. Yuval Shany, Hersch Lauterpacht Chair in Public International Law Professor, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Senior Fellow, Israel Democracy Institute, former member of the UN Human Rights Committee

Research Team Adv. Orna Weinstein

Adv. Stewart Wiseman Adv. Hannah Kull

Civil Commission’s Executive Team

Dr. Cochav Elkayam Levy, Founding Chair Adv. Merav Israeli-Amarant, CEO

Ms. Nirit Samocha, COO

Ms. Danae Marx Callaf, Dir. Int’l Communications Ms. Karen Jungblut, Dir. of Archives

Ms. Inbal Eshed, Dir. of International Relations Ms. Naama Katzir, Israeli Media Spokesperson

Documentation

Ms. Sharon Rapaport, Lead Documentor Ms. Anat Krakowski

Adv. Irit Gazit Mr. Yacob Shtar

Ms. Osnat Topper

Adv. Hadas Dagan-Kesten Adv. Karen Kutas-Amitay Ms. Tomer Asayag

Ms. Noy Pais

Data Gathering, Analysis, and Research Support

Dr. Yuval Harpaz, Dr. Keren Yalin-Mor, Mr. Sagi Or, Mr. Nir Smilga

Administrative Team

CPA. Olga Rivkin, CFO; Oded Maimon, CTO; Ms. Miri Shenhar; Ms. Nomi Kessler-Feinstein

Legal Advisor

Adv. Jonathan Shiff

English-Language Editor Ms. Gretchen Dykstra

Cover Design and Graphic Design Ira Ginzburg Studio

To learn more, visit: www.civilc.org

For more information about the report, visit: www.civilc.org/silenced-no-more Email: info@civilc.org

To support the Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children: WWW.CIVILC.ORG/DONATE

SILENCED NO MORE

SEXUAL TERROR UNVEILED: THE UNTOLD ATROCITIES OF OCTOBER 7 AND AGAINST HOSTAGES IN CAPTIVITY

The Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children, a nonprofit, independent organization, was founded to document, research, and raise international awareness of the war crimes and gender-based violence committed by Hamas and their collaborators against women, children, and families during their brutal attack on Israel on October 7th and in captivity. Led by Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, a 2024 Israel Prize laureate and expert in human rights and international law, the Civil Commission documents, researches, and advocates for victims, giving them a voice and challenging the denial of these atrocities. Its archive serves as both a memorial and a vital historical and legal record.

With a team of experts, including researchers, lawyers, documenters, and trauma experts, and supported by leaders like Sheryl Sandberg and Prof. Irwin Cotler, and other prominent figures on our advisory board, the Civil Commission is raising international awareness and forging global partnerships to highlight these atrocities and pursue justice for the victims.

THE CIVIL COMMISSION ON OCTOBER 7TH CRIMES BY HAMAS AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN

DISTINGUISHED ENDORSEMENTS

“History has shown us that sexual violence in war is too often hidden, minimized, or erased𝑓rom the historical record. This report is an act o𝑓 witness against that erasure. It gives voice to victims and survivors, documents the systematic nature o𝑓 these crimes, and deepens our understanding o𝑓 the pro𝑓ound harm they inflict – not only on individuals, but on 𝑓amilies, communities, and 𝑓uture generations. Its contribution to justice and historical memory will endure.”

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

“When I first learned what happened to women and girls on October 7 and in the months o𝑓 captivity that 𝑓ollowed, I could not understand how so much o𝑓 the world remained silent. This report re𝑓uses that silence. Drawing on more than 430 testimonies, over 1,800 hours o𝑓 visual analysis, and thirteen documented patterns o𝑓 violence, it is the most comprehensive evidence assembled to date, and the 𝑓oundation on which accountability must now be built. I am deeply grate𝑓ul to Dr. Elkayam-Levy and the Civil Commission 𝑓or the rigor and moral courage this work required. The victims were never silent — the world was. This report ensures that can never be said again.”

Ms. Sheryl Sandberg, nFounder, Lean In

“The deliberate use o𝑓 sexual violence in conflict is among the gravest violations o𝑓 human rights. This report contributes to the indispensable work o𝑓 documentation, recognition, and transmission, ensuring that these crimes are neither denied nor 𝑓orgotten, and that the pursuit o𝑓 justice remains a collective international duty. In the name o𝑓 truth and human dignity.”

Ambassador Isabelle Rome

France’s Ambassador at-Large for Human Rights responsible for international issues relating to the Holocaust, looted property, and remembrance

“In the dirty little wars o𝑓 the 21st Century women and children pay a particularly heavy price. International humanitarian law is ignored as combatants intentionally target civilians and civilian objects. The rule o𝑓 law must be seen as the cornerstone 𝑓or international peace and security.”

Prof. David Crane, Founding Chief Prosecutor, UN Special Court for Sierra Leone

“To those who denied the sexual violence on October 7 who justi𝑓y what happened in October 7 or make excuses I have something 𝑓or your summer reading list. Read it! You may actually learn something and be a better person 𝑓or it. Facts are a stubborn thing.”

Mr. Rahm Emanuel, Former White House Chief of Staff

“The Civil Commission’s report describes acts that are o𝑓ten described as unspeakable acts, not only because o𝑓 their brutality, but because they challenge our capacity to discuss them and to 𝑓ully acknow ledge them. The seriousness and rigor o𝑓 the work under lying this report, reflected in the care𝑓ul collection, preservation, curation and analysis o𝑓 a vast evidentiary record, lend a particular weight to its findings. By documenting patterns o𝑓 sexual violence that we resystematic and embedded in the October 7 attacks and subsequent periods o𝑓 captivity, the report gives general shapeand𝑓orm to crimes that might otherwise remain𝑓ragmented, minimized, ordenied. Indoing so, it marks ani mportant step in ensuring that these heinous acts are neither obscured𝑓rom the historical record nor excluded 𝑓rom our moral reckoning. It also strengthens the 𝑓actual basis 𝑓or their recognition and prosecution under domestic and international law.”

“The 𝑓renzy o𝑓 sexual violence unleashed by Hamas and its collaborators in its 7 October attack on Israel plunged un𝑓athomable depths o𝑓 brutalityanddepravity.Morestrikingstillarethemuted responses-andevendenials-that𝑓ollowed.ThatiswhytheCommissionhasdoneagreatservice in compiling this strongly evidenced report as a permanent testament o𝑓 what happened. That is important 𝑓or the pain𝑓ully slow process o𝑓 accountability and justice. But even more 𝑓or the unfiltered understanding o𝑓 the horrors that happened 𝑓or us and our successor generations, without which there is no chance to make peace, whenever that moment arrives.”

Prof. Mukesh Kapila, Former Special Adviser to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Professor Emeritus, Global Health & Humanitarian Affairs

“Rigorous documentation is the cornerstone o𝑓 atrocity crimes prevention and the first step toward breaking the cycle o𝑓 impunity. By meticulously preserving the evidentiary record o𝑓 the sexual and gender-based crimes o𝑓 October 7th, the Civil Commission has created a significant resource 𝑓or international justice. This report serves as a stark reminder o𝑓 our shared obligation to con𝑓ront the weaponization o𝑓 sexual violence and to ensure that such systematic patterns are recognized, archived, and never ignored by the global community.”

Ms. Alice Wairimu Nderitu, Former Under-Secretary General and Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide

“This report meticulously and painstakingly documents the horrendous sexual and gender-based violence that occurred on October 7, 2023, and during captivity, and it lays the groundwork 𝑓or much-needed accountability. As the report eloquently states, “sexual violence, whether inflicted against women, men or children, is a grave violation that must never be normalized and must be met with meaning𝑓ul accountability.”

Prof. Nienke Grossman, Professor of Law, Co-Director, Center for International and Comparative Law, University of Baltimore Law School

“The Civil Commission’s rigorous documentation is a vital stand against the erasure o𝑓 victim experiences. By archiving the sexual atrocities o𝑓 October 7, this work honors the dignity o𝑓 survivors and provides the essential 𝑓oundation o𝑓 truth required 𝑓or any 𝑓uture path toward healing and justice. It is an extraordinary testament to the power o𝑓 witnessing in the pursuit o𝑓 human rights.”

Prof. Elizabeth Gaufberg, MD MPH Associate Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry Harvard Medical School

“The systematic use o𝑓 sexual violence as a weapon o𝑓 wardefies the core o𝑓international lawand humandignity. By establishing a rigorous evidentiary record o𝑓 the atrocities o𝑓 October7th, the Civil Commission ensures these crimes cannot be denied. This documentation serves a san essential 𝑓oundation 𝑓or accountability and a necessary step in de𝑓ending the universal values that underpin our global and European institutions.”

Ms. Noëlle Lenoir, Former Justice on the French Constitutional Court and former French Minister for Europe

“This report is a pro𝑓oundly important contribution to documenting the atrocities o𝑓 October 7 and their a𝑓termath. By combining care𝑓ul 𝑓actual investigation with rigorous legal analysis, it preserves the historical record, honors the experiences o𝑓 victims and survivors, and helps lay essential groundwork 𝑓or accountability. Particularly power𝑓ul is its development o𝑓 the concept o𝑓 ‘kinocide’ to capture 𝑓orms o𝑓 violence aimed at the destruction o𝑓 𝑓amily bonds and intimate human ties.”

Prof. William W. Burke-White, Prof. William W. Burke-White, Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania

“This report constitutes an essential contribution to the documentation o𝑓 grave crimes under international law. Its rigorous work ensures that the voices o𝑓 victims are preserved, and that truth remains the 𝑓oundation upon which accountability must stand.”

Mr. François Zimeray, Former French Ambassador for Human Rights; Founding Partner, Zimeray & Finelle

“To document is to resist erasure. Testimony is a moral act, and an act o𝑓 pro𝑓ound courage. By documenting these crimes with rigor and humanity, individual suffering is trans𝑓ormed into collective memory, and memory into personal and social responsibility. Through its searing truth testimony aids justice, builds empathy, and shapes how 𝑓uture generations understand that sexual violence happens to real people.”

Dr. Stephen Smith, MBE, Executive Director Emeritus of USC Shoah Foundation

“This report exposes a critical dimension o𝑓the October 7 attacks: sexual and gender-based violence as a structured component o𝑓 a broader architecture o𝑓 terror.Its how show violence operated through relationships, weaponizing intimacy, 𝑓amily bonds, and human vulnerability in ways that reflect a broader“kinocidallogic. ”At the sametime, it reveals how digital environments were active components in both the design and amplification o𝑓 harm, enabling a “theater o𝑓 terror ”inwhich visibility itsel𝑓 became a weapon. In a landscape o𝑓 ten 𝑓ramed around mis- and disin𝑓ormation, the report sharpens our understanding o𝑓 how mal-in𝑓ormation operates as a vector o𝑓 violence. By integrating rigorous documentation with legal analysis, the report translates these patterns into a concrete 𝑓ramework 𝑓or accountability and prosecution, laying the groundwork 𝑓or addressing responsibility not only o𝑓 perpetrators, but also across the digital in𝑓rastructures through which these crimes were staged, circulated, and intensified. In doing so, it should call 𝑓or a necessary shi𝑓t: con𝑓ronting these crimes requires moving beyond the boundaries o𝑓 criminal law and international humanitarian law alone, toward a broader 𝑓ramework o𝑓 responsibility that includes technology plat𝑓orms and digital intermediaries.”

Dr. Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler, Expert in law and technology, Senior Fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute

“The Civil Commission’s report is an act o𝑓 moralwitness. Through meticulous documentation, the report gives voice to victims and survivors, sa𝑓eguards the truth against deni alanderasure,and streng thens the pursuito 𝑓justice. In the Jewish tradition, memory is a sacred responsibility, and a command. This report calls all people o𝑓 conscience to listen, to remember, and to act.”

[…]

HONORARY ENDORSERS

Hillary Rodham Clinton Former Secretary of State

Prof. Irwin Cotler

Advisory Board member, International Chair, Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights; former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Ambassador Isabelle Rome

France’s Ambassador at-Large for Human Rights responsible for international issues relating to the Holocaust, looted property, and remembrance

Prof. David Crane

Founding Chief Prosecutor, UN Special Court for Sierra Leone

Prof. Aharon Barak

Former President of the Supreme Court of Israel

Prof. Mukesh Kapila

Former Special Adviser to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Professor Emeritus, Global Health & Humanitarian Affairs.

Prof. Yuval Shany

Hersch Lauterpacht Chair in Public International Law Professor, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Senior Fellow, Israel Democracy Institute, former member of the UN Human Rights Committee

Ms. Noëlle Lenoir

Former Justice on the French Constitutional Court and former French Minister for Europe

Ms. Alice Wairimu Nderitu

Former Under-Secretary General and Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide

Ms. Sheryl Sandberg

Advisory Board member, Founder, Lean In

Mr. Rahm Emanuel

Former White House Chief of Staff

Prof. Elizabeth Gaufberg, MD MPH

Associate Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Prof. Nienke Grossman

Professor of Law, Co-Director, Center for International and Comparative Law, University of Baltimore Law School

Mr. François Zimeray

Former French Ambassador for Human Rights; Founding Partner, Zimeray & Finelle

Prof. Mordechai Kremnitzer

Former Dean of the Faculty of Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Senior Fellow at Israel Democracy Institute

Prof. William W. Burke-White

Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Stephen Smith

MBE, Executive Director Emeritus of USC Shoah Foundation

Mr. Peter Van Praagh

President, Halifax International Security Forum (HFX), Washington, DC

Ms. Nazanin Afshin-Jam Mackay

Founding Member, Iranian Justice Collective, Canada

Dr. Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler

expert in law and technology, Senior Fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute

Ms. Viviane Teitelbaum

Senator and Author; President, European Council of the International Council of Women (ECICW); President of the Network of Women Parliamentarians of the APF

Céline Bardet

Founder and Head of We Are NOT Weapons Of War (WWoW)

Rabbi Angela W. Buchdahl

Senior Rabbi, Central Synagogue, New York

Ms. Roya Hakakian

Writer and Cofounder of Iran Human Rights Documentation Center

Ms. Carol Ann Schwartz Hadassah National President

Dr. Lavi Shay

Chairperson of the Association of Israeli Archivists

Ms. Hagit Pe’er

President of Na’amat Israel and Na’amat International

Dr. Sharon S. Nazarian Ph.D.

President, Younes & Soraya Nazarian Family Foundation

Ms. Irit Kohn

President Emeritus, The International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists

Mr. Jay Rosenzweig

CEO of Rosenzweig & Company; author of the Annual Rosenzweig; Report on women; and Honorary Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights

Ms. Moran Zer Katzenstein

Founder and head of Bonot Alternativa, Israel’s women’s protest movement

Ms. Raheel Raza

President, Council for Muslims Against Antisemitism

Ms. Miriam Rocah

Fordham Law Adjunct Professor, former district attorney and federal prosecutor

Ms. Anila Ali

President, American Muslim Multi-Faith Empowerment Council (AMMWEC)

Rabbi Liz P. G. Hirsch

CEO, Women of Reform Judaism

Adv. Gali Etzion

Head of the Legal Division, Na’amat

Ms. Rachel Foster

Co-Founder and President, World Without Exploitation

Major General (Res.) Doron Almog Chairman of the Executive, The Jewish Agency for Israel

Dr. Leyla Ferman Researcher, Germany

Rabbi Tamar Elad-Appelbaum

Founder of the Zion Community of Jerusalem, Voice of the People Global Jewish Council of Israel’s Office of the President, the Vatican Global Women Interreligious Network, Board member of the Civil Commission

[…]

Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………………….. 6

Preface………………………………………………………………………………………. 9

Dr. Cochav Elkayam Levy…………………………………………………………………………………………………. 9

Forewords……………………………………………………………………………………. 12

Prof. Irwin Cotler………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 12

Justice Aharon Barak……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 14

Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………………. 16

The Report’s Contribution……………………………………………………………………. 20

Key Findings…………………………………………………………………………………. 21

Legal conclusions…………………………………………………………………………… 25

Recommendations………………………………………………………………………….. 27