300-Page Investigation Confirms Hamas Used Rape as a Weapon on Oct. 7 — And the NYT Tried to Bury It

The Report: What It Actually Found

The Civil Commission on October 7 Crimes by Hamas against Women and Children released a 300-page study called Silenced No More on May 12, 2026.

Lead author Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, an international law expert, told CNN directly: "The most important finding is the fact that the sexual violence on October 7 and against hostages in captivity has been a calculated strategy by Hamas."

This wasn't frenzied mob violence. It was planned.

The report draws on 430 filmed interviews with survivors, witnesses, former hostages, medical staff, and lawyers — plus more than 10,000 photographs and videos filmed by the attackers themselves, according to BBC News.

The Times of Israel reports the commission documented 13 distinct types of sexual violence, including rape, gang rape, sexual torture and mutilation, executions tied to sexual violence, postmortem sexual abuse, and assaults carried out in front of family members.

The scale is staggering. The coordination was deliberate. The intent, according to the commission, was to terrorize not just the individual victims — but Israeli society as a whole.

What Happened at Nova

CNN reports that three separate rape incidents were documented at the Nova Music Festival, where more than 370 people were killed in a single night.

One survivor, hiding nearby, told investigators: "I heard one rape where they were passing her around. She was probably injured, judging by her screams — screams you have never heard anywhere."

That account was corroborated by a second survivor. Physical evidence at the scene — torn clothing, body positioning — confirmed what witnesses heard.

The report also includes previously undisclosed allegations involving two minors held hostage in Gaza who say they were sexually abused and forced by their captors to perform sexual acts on each other.

Hamas's Own Cameras Documented It

Hamas didn't just commit these acts. They recorded them.

According to the Times of Israel, the commission found that Hamas and affiliated terrorists deliberately filmed and disseminated videos and photographs of the violence on social media — including sending footage directly to the families of their victims.

This was psychological warfare layered on top of physical atrocity. The goal was maximum terror.

The NYT's Embarrassing Timing

The night before this report dropped, the New York Times published an opinion piece by Nicholas Kristof suggesting there is "a pattern of widespread Israeli sexual violence against men, women, and even children," according to the Washington Examiner.

Kristof acknowledged there's no evidence "that Israeli leaders order rapes" — but the framing pushed a moral equivalence between Hamas's documented, systematic campaign and alleged Israeli misconduct.

Israel's Foreign Ministry didn't mince words. Their statement, cited by the Washington Examiner: "Months ago, the Civil Commission approached the New York Times with a report on Hamas' systematic sexual violence on Oct. 7 and after. The New York Times said it was not interested. Aware of the report and its release date, the night before its release, the NYT ran a shameful attack on Israel, belittling Hamas' sexual crimes. That tells you everything about the NYT's agenda."

The NYT was offered the Hamas sexual violence report. They passed. Then they published a piece attacking Israel the night before it released.

The timing is suspicious. This reflects clear editorial choices.

What the Mainstream Coverage Is Getting Wrong

Left-leaning outlets like CNN and BBC covered the Civil Commission report seriously — credit where it's due. CNN even had it first.

But the broader media environment has spent two years treating Hamas's denial of sexual violence as a legitimate counter-narrative. Hamas has "repeatedly denied" the attacks happened, according to BBC News. Outlets kept printing those denials with zero pushback.

The UN's own Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict found "reasonable grounds to believe" gang rape occurred — that was months ago. It barely made the news cycle.

The Civil Commission's report is 300 pages, based on 430 interviews, backed by the attackers' own footage. There is no ambiguity remaining. Anyone still treating Hamas's denials as credible is misleading their audience.

What This Means

The commission concluded these acts constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocidal acts under international law, according to the Times of Israel.

The evidence is now overwhelming and documented. The institutions that should have amplified it — the UN, major international media — dragged their feet for two years. And the night before the definitive report dropped, America's newspaper of record ran interference for the people who did it.