An Israeli group of legal experts has accused the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas of using sexual violence as "part of a genocidal scheme" during its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
The Dinah Project published its findings in a report on Monday that it said used accounts from an attempted rape survivor on October 7 and 15 freed Gaza hostages who had experienced or witnessed sexual violence.
It also used visual and audio evidence, as well as accounts from first responders and mortuary attendants.
The report found that "sexual violence was widespread and systematic" on October 7 and happened across at least six locations.
Hamas, it said, "used sexual violence as a tactical weapon, as part of a genocidal scheme and with the goal of terrorising and dehumanising Israeli society".
The militant group has categorically denied allegations of using sexual violence, without providing evidence to support its claims.
The Dinah Project report said it sets out a legal framework for "establishing criminal responsibility in the context of mass attacks motivated by genocidal intent".
Individuals who participate in such coordinated attacks bear responsibility "for the full range of atrocities committed as part of that assault -- even if they did not personally commit each specific act or were not aware of its commission by a co-perpetrator", it added.
The report also said it lays out a framework to assess evidence "even in the absence of direct victim testimony".
The October 7 assault on Israel led by Hamas triggered the more than 21-month war in the Gaza Strip.
The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57,575 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The UN considers the figures reliable.
A UN report in March 2024 found "reasonable grounds to believe" rapes were committed by militants on October 7 and that hostages taken to Gaza have also been raped.
A Human Rights Watch report published in July 2024 set out a host of crimes under international law that it said Hamas and its allies breached during the attack, including sexual and gender-based violence.
The report quoted a team of the UN special representative on sexual violence in conflict who said they interviewed people who had reported witnessing "rape and gang rape, in at least three locations".
The Dinah Project was set up by Israeli legal scholars and lawyers in the aftermath of the attack to ensure "recognition and justice for the victims and survivors".
