Hamas’ Deliberate, Coordinated Violence Confirmed by Independent Commission

As painful as it was for me to write this, I felt compelled to respond to the article in the May 14 issue of the Baltimore Sun, “Civil Commission Report Says Oct. 7 Sexual Violence in Israel was Deliberate, Coordinated.” (If you are interested in reading the report, you can view it on this web page.)

Most Jews and Israelis around the world already know this violence was deliberate and coordinated. Was it not obvious from the news coverage of Hamas’ brutal, horrific attack at the Nova Music Festival in the Negev Desert?

Was it not evident in the video footage Hamas deliberately released to the public to provide further torment and anguish?

I suppose not everyone has heard about the women who Hamas terrorists tied to trees,  gang raped and mutilated. Or the woman they continued to rape after she was dead. The blind hatred and animalistic behavior should appall everyone, whether or not you agree with the State of Israel’s politics.

I’ll never forget the image of the woman whose breasts they cut off before they killed her. Unfortunately, such images will remain embedded in my mind for the rest of my life.

To shed light on these atrocities and hold Hamas accountable, Hadassah instituted an “End the Silence” campaign. “As a global humanitarian organization,” its policy statement declared, “Hadassah continues to speak out to end the silence on sexual violence and urges all people to join in that call to action.”

Furthermore, Hadassah stated, “Rape and sexual violence should never be used or sanctioned as a weapon of war. Not by Hamas against Israeli women and girls. Not by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. Not in Myanmar or Sudan or The Democratic Republic of the Congo. Not anywhere.”

Are there some people who only now will believe the truth about these atrocities because an independent investigation confirmed that they took place?

According to the Civil Commission (whose study took two years to complete): “For the first time, these crimes can be understood in their full scope, structure and operational logic and documented in a way that establishes a clear foundation for accountability.” The commission states that, “The findings established that sexual violence was not incidental. It was deliberate, coordinated and embedded in the attack itself.”

I don’t understand how anyone could condone this behavior or support terrorists and terrorism that leverages such evil and inhumane tactics against non-military (civilian) men, women and children. How can one allow such hatred to turn him or herself into such a savage beast with no regard for fellow human beings?

Listed under “Legal Findings,” the Commission’s website reads, “Based on this body of evidence, the Commission concludes that these acts constitute: war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocidal acts under international law.”

According to the CNN news story about this report, author and human rights expert Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy said the goal of the report – and a digital archive that contains all the evidence the team collected – is making sure that the suffering endured by the victims could not be “denied, erased or forgotten.” So now what?

In 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for several Hamas leaders accused of war crimes. In the US, one man in Louisiana was arrested for his participation in the attack. And, according to the Jerusalem Post, three people were arrested as infiltrators.

According to NBC News, six senior leaders of Hamas “were charged with terrorism and other crimes in connection with the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, the US Justice Department announced . . . .”

Is that enough? As with any crime, did the victims get justice? Were the guilty imprisoned? Will the victims be able to overcome their trauma? Will the world defend and support the innocents or will people turn their backs or, worse yet, accuse the victims of being the criminals? Will the spike in antisemitism continue, worsening conditions for Jews around the world?

As of this writing, the cease-fire situation with Hamas seems to be stuck in a holding pattern where no new progress can be achieved in any reconstruction, peace negotiations or relief for the Palestinian people.

Hamas currently refuses to disarm and that is a non-negotiable condition mandated by the US, Israel and the Board of Peace. We should all support this position.

This situation – and world events in general – affect us all in one way or another. Hate and intolerance are ubiquitous, and those who choose to rashly embrace them are a danger to everyone.

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A version of the following opinion piece was published in the Baltimore Sun on May 20, 2026.