Lead

Two and a half years after the October 7 attack, Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, chair of the Civil Commission on October 7 Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children, is preparing to release a 300-page report that she believes will settle the debate over whether Hamas committed systematic sexual violence that day. In an interview with The Jerusalem Report's editor-in-chief Ruth Marks Eglash, Elkayam-Levy described the document as "a watershed moment, really a moment of before and after."

The report, built on survivor testimonies, forensic analysis, and footage filmed by the terrorists themselves, is intended to shift the conversation from whether the atrocities occurred to what their consequences should be. "The question won't be whether this happened, but what are the consequences?" Elkayam-Levy told Eglash.

Coverage Comparison

The Jerusalem Post's coverage of the report has been extensive, with two separate podcast episodes dedicated to the subject. The first, published May 10, 2026, focuses on the report's contents and the conceptual framework developed by the commission. The second, published May 14, 2026, examines the media dynamics that followed the report's release, particularly the shift in attention toward allegations against Israeli forces.

Both pieces rely heavily on direct interviews with Elkayam-Levy and analysis by Jerusalem Report editors. The coverage presents the report as a landmark document, with the second episode noting it "made waves this week, drawing widespread attention to the systematic atrocities committed during the Hamas attack." The Jerusalem Post frames the report's release as a critical moment for accountability, while expressing concern that media focus has been diverted.

Key Claims

  • Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy is preparing to release a 300-page report on Hamas's systematic sexual violence during the October 7 attack, based on survivor testimonies, forensic analysis, and footage filmed by the terrorists.
  • The report documents the use of sexual violence as a deliberate tool of war, as well as the torture of family members to inflict deeper psychological trauma on victims.
  • For the first time, the report documents cases in which family members were sexually abused or threatened in front of one another on October 7, and a case from captivity in which relatives were forced to commit sexual acts on each other.
  • The term "kinocide" was coined to describe the systematic weaponization of family bonds, developed by Elkayam-Levy's team with former Canadian justice minister Irwin Cotler and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.
  • The report will be released to courts, parliaments, and feminist scholarship, according to Elkayam-Levy.
  • A New York Times opinion piece accused Israeli forces of using trained dogs to sexually assault Palestinian prisoners, according to the Jerusalem Post's coverage.
  • Following the report's release, media focus shifted to Israeli forces, a development the Jerusalem Post describes as a "media circus" that undermined the potential for accountability.

Perspectives

Civil Commission on October 7 Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children

Led by Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, the commission views the report as a definitive documentation of Hamas's systematic sexual violence. Elkayam-Levy emphasizes the report's role in closing the debate over whether these crimes occurred and in establishing consequences. She also highlights the commission's original conceptual work, including the term "kinocide," and notes that survivors of atrocities in Sudan, Sierra Leone, and among Yazidi communities have asked the commission to record their suffering alongside Israel's.

Jerusalem Post Media Commentary

A second Jerusalem Post podcast episode, featuring Ruth Marks Eglash and Jacob Laznik, offers a critical perspective on the media's handling of the report. The episode argues that a New York Times opinion piece alleging abuses by Israeli forces shifted attention away from Hamas's documented crimes, leading to a "familiar cycle of Israel-Palestine finger-pointing." The commentary questions whether journalism is serving the public by allowing the news cycle to prevent society from fully processing "some of the most serious human rights violations of our time."