The killing of civilians was systematic and intentional when Hamas and its allies attacked Israel on October 7. This is shown by a report from the human rights organization Human Rights Watch.
At least five armed Palestinian groups participated in the attack on Israel. All of them committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. This is stated by Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a new report on the terrorist attack on Israel, in which around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and more than 250 people were taken hostage.
HRW also establishes that Hamas' armed branch, the al-Qassam brigades, led the attack and that its militiamen – contrary to what Hamas has claimed – were instructed to attack civilians.
Systematic killing
According to the 230-page report, the armed Palestinian groups have committed war crimes by killing, torturing, taking hostages, looting, and committing sexual violence against civilians.
Belkis Wille, deputy director of HRW, describes the killing as systematic and intentional.
The killing of civilians and taking of hostages was the goal of the planned attack, and was not actions that happened by chance or a plan that went wrong, says Wille to the news agency AP.
Majority of militiamen
After reviewing hundreds of images and videos, HRW has concluded that the majority of Palestinians who participated in the attack were affiliated with armed groups and not random civilians who took advantage of the open fence.
This was a claim made very early on by, among others, Hamas to distance its militiamen from the abuses, says Wille.
Israel's response to the terrorist attack was to declare war on terrorist-stamped Hamas. More than 38,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since the outbreak of war, according to Hamas-controlled authorities.
