The 7 October Parliamentary Commission, chaired by Lord Roberts of Belgravia on behalf of the UK-Israel All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), on Wednesday published its first report into the 2023 Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel.
Publication of the findings are the culmination of a 12-month process undertaken in January 2024, with a view to establishing an exact sequence of events and countering any denials or misrepresentation of what took place.
What unfolded over the course of the attack amounted to one of the worst terror outrages in the annals of history, leaving 1,182 dead including 18 UK citizens. This marks the largest number of UK deaths from a terror attack in the Middle East, and the second highest globally after 9/11.
Wednesday's report details the catalogue of murder, torture and sexual violence which took place, while also shedding light on the planning process and groups involved in the assault. In total, citizens from 44 nations were either killed or taken hostage by Hamas and other groups. The victims were overwhelmingly Jewish Israelis, but the attackers showed no mercy and slaughtered IsraeliArabs and Bedouins as well as Thai workers without hesitation.
The 7 October Parliamentary Commission Report is being shared with Members of Parliament from the Commons and Lords, University Vice Chancellors as well as being made publicly available online.
Introducing the report, Lord Roberts likened refutations of the events to Holocaust denial saying: “Hamas and its allies, both in the Middle East and equally shamefully in the West, have sought to deny the atrocities, despite the ironic fact that much of the evidence for the massacres derives come from film footage from cameras carried by the terrorists themselves - though of course there is also much more from many other sources, as this Report delineates.”
“The present Report has been undertaken to counter such pernicious views, and to lay down incontrovertible proof - for now and for the years to come – that nearly 1,200 innocent people were indeed murdered by Hamas and its allies, and very often in scenes of sadistic barbarism not seen in world history since the Rape of Nanjing in 1937.”
Findings include:
• Years of planning went into the invasion. The origins can be traced back to 2018 when Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip established the “Joint Room for Palestinian Resistance Factions” to coordinate activities.
• Approximately 7,000 individuals took part in the large-scale, coordinated assault on 55 distinct locations.
• 18 UK citizens were killed including Rotem Kalderon, 66, a dual UK-Israel citizen who was previously unnamed. Her body lay undiscovered until two weeks after the attack at Kibbutz Be’eri. The report details the deaths of all 17 UK citizens killed on that day, and the two hostages that were taken – one who was then also killed in captivity, bringing the total to 18 dead.
• Deliberate killings of civilians took place at 26 locations. The youngest victim was newborn Naama Abu Rashed who suffered a gunshot wound while still in his mother’s womb and died just 14-hours after doctors performed an emergency delivery. The oldest victim was Moshe Ridler, a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor, who was killed when Hamas invaders fired a rocket propelled grenade at the door of his safe room. Civilians account for 73% of the victims of 7 October.
• The biggest age group of victims was 18-30 – largely due to the attack on the Nova music festival, which accounts for 375 victims.
• Causes of death included shooting, burning, asphyxiation and grenade explosions.
• Desecration of corpses was widespread, including mutilation, beheadings and boobytrapping bodies with grenades. Dead bodies were taken as hostages.
• Detailed maps of villages (kibbutzim) and hostage taking manuals were found on the attackers who also designed special weaponry to breach the doors of civilian saferooms.
• The findings support and add to an earlier report authored by the UN’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence, Pramila Patten on allegations of Conflict Related Sexual Violence (CRSV), which found that “several fully naked or partially naked bodies from the waist down [that] were recovered – mostly women – with hands tied and shot multiple times.” Acts of sexual violence occurred across all sites during attack.
• 119 breaches in the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel took place during the attack, and simultaneous incursions by air and sea. The attack included an unprecedented rocket barrage which placed 75% of Israel’s population, around 7.3 million people, under threat.
The investigation leading to Wednesday’s report was conducted by Lord Roberts, with support from a panel of UK parliamentarians. The panel heard testimonials from those directly impacted including family members of victims and hostages who provided testimony and evidence, academics and military experts. The report also drew on footage from GoPro cameras worn by Hamas operatives on the day and CCTV footage which captured the attack.
Lord Roberts commented: “This report will serve as a permanent memorial and enduring resource for governments, educators, and civil society in order to safeguard the truth against denialism and distortion.”
“The purpose of commissioning our report has been to chronicle the events of 7 October with clarity and meticulous, factchecking precision, to ensure it is never forgotten.”
Israel’s Ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, who participated in the event, said: "The UK Parliament’s report on the events of 7th October provides crucial fact-based clarity on the horrific war crimes committed by Hamas against innocent civilians."
"We live in a world where fake news prevails, and the truth is systematically erased through denial and distortion. This comprehensive report is part of the fight against the spread of lies and misinformation. I'd like to thank Professor Andrew Roberts and the Israel APPG for this important step in preserving historical truth."