An international human rights organization, Human Rights Watch, released a report accusing Hamas-led armed groups of committing numerous war crimes during an attack on southern Israel on October 7, which led to the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. The report indicates that the actions of the Palestinian fighters, resulting in the death of approximately 1,200 individuals and the kidnapping of over 250, met the legal definitions for crimes against humanity and war crimes.
According to the report, five different Palestinian armed groups, primarily led by Hamas’ Qassam Brigades, were involved in war crimes such as killing, torturing, taking hostages, looting, and carrying out crimes involving sexual and gender-based violence. While Human Rights Watch could not independently verify claims of sexual violence and rape, they referenced another report by a U.N. envoy that found evidence supporting these allegations.
The 230-page HRW report focuses solely on the October 7 attacks and does not delve into the subsequent actions of Hamas or Israel during the ensuing conflict in Gaza, where more than 38,400 casualties have been reported by the territory’s Health Ministry, without distinguishing between combatants and civilians. The report notes that the militants’ acts constituted crimes against humanity due to their deliberate targeting of civilian populations.
Belkis Wille, an associate director at HRW, stated that the killing of civilians and taking hostages were central objectives of the planned attack, not incidental actions. HRW researchers investigated 26 civilian sites in southern Israel following the attack, interviewing survivors, experts, and first responders to gather evidence.
Human Rights Watch observed footage of armed fighters communicating with each other and receiving orders from commanders, leading them to conclude that the attackers belonged to armed factions and were not random civilians as previously claimed. In response to HRW’s report, Hamas denied targeting civilians and claimed that the Qassam Brigades orchestrated the attack, not the political movement. HRW rebutted this, asserting that intentional civilian killings and hostage-taking were planned and coordinated.
HRW urged Hamas to release hostages and bodies still held in Gaza and called on all parties involved to adhere to international law and agree to a ceasefire promptly. The organization has had a contentious relationship with Israel, previously accusing the country of violating international law. In one instance, HRW found that an Israeli strike in Gaza resulting in civilian deaths amounted to a war crime, while Israel defended its actions, attributing civilian casualties to Hamas operating in densely populated areas. HRW also accused Israel of using white phosphorus in Lebanon, which the Israeli military justified as a defensive measure rather than an intentional attack on civilians.
