Amnesty International has released a comprehensive investigation into the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, documenting widespread violations committed during the attack and throughout the subsequent captivity of hostages in Gaza. The 173-page report concludes that Hamas and additional Palestinian armed groups committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, extermination, torture, enforced disappearance and sexual violence.
According to the report, more than 3,000 fighters from Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades and other armed groups infiltrated communities adjacent to Gaza by land, air and sea following an initial barrage of thousands of rockets. Amnesty’s findings indicate that over 800 civilians were killed, with attacks targeting homes, safe rooms, bomb shelters and public areas. Civilians attempting to flee were hunted along roads and open fields, and several communities, including Be’eri, Holit, Kfar Azza, Nahal Oz and Netiv HaAsara, suffered mass casualties.
The report documents systematic hostage‑taking, concluding that 251 people were taken to Gaza, the majority of them civilians. Hostages were held for weeks, months, or in some cases more than two years. Amnesty states that all those taken were unlawfully held as hostages and subjected to psychological abuse, with many also facing physical or sexual violence. In several cases, bodies of the dead were seized and transported to Gaza, leaving families without information regarding their loved ones.
Amnesty International verified hundreds of videos and conducted interviews with survivors, released hostages, medical personnel and forensic experts. The organization found that most killings were deliberately carried out by fighters from the Al-Qassam Brigades, while members of additional groups, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, participated in other incidents. It also identified the involvement of unaffiliated Palestinian civilians who entered Israel through the breached perimeter fence and took part in killings, abductions and looting.
The report includes testimonies indicating physical abuse, sexual assault and the mistreatment of bodies during the attacks. While Amnesty could not determine the full scale of sexual violence, it confirmed multiple cases of assault during the attacks and in captivity, involving both men and women. Hostages described severe beatings, forced nudity, prolonged deprivation and other forms of torture. All hostages were held incommunicado, and videos released by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad were used to exert pressure on Israeli authorities.
Amnesty concludes that the acts committed amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, carried out as part of a widespread and systematic attack on a civilian population. The organization notes that Hamas leaders announced and directed the assault, and that statements and actions by the group’s leadership demonstrated an intention to target civilians and take hostages.
The report also identifies significant investigative failures by Hamas, the Palestinian authorities and, in certain respects, Israeli authorities, particularly regarding forensic collection and documentation. It calls for full accountability for all individuals responsible for crimes under international law and urges cooperation with international investigative and judicial mechanisms.
Amnesty’s conclusions focus on violations carried out by Hamas and other armed groups. Its recommendations call for the immediate return of the final body held in Gaza and for all armed groups to acknowledge and halt violations, conduct credible investigations and ensure justice for victims and survivors.