Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday said that Amnesty International's acknowledgement that Hamas committed crimes against humanity on October 7, 2023, was too little and too late.
“It took Amnesty International more than two years to address Hamas’s heinous crimes, and even now its report falls far short of reflecting the full scope of Hamas’s horrific atrocities,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein.
“The horrors perpetrated by Hamas and Palestinian civilians on October 7 and thereafter are so grave that even a biased organization like Amnesty International could not overlook them. Fortunately, the world does not need Amnesty International to recognize the truth of the sheer monstrosity of Hamas,” he added.
His comments came after Amnesty International released a new 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 corroborates what Israel has consistently said occurred on that day, concluding that Hamas and additional Palestinian Arab terrorist groups committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, extermination, torture, enforced disappearance and sexual violence.
The report included 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.
Amnesty concluded 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 noted 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.
A previous Amnesty International report accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza since the start of the war which was preceded by the October 7 massacre.
Amnesty International has a history of anti-Israel statements and reports, including a 2022 report in which the organization accused Israel of “Apartheid” against Palestinian Arabs.