The October 7, 2023 attack was a Hamas-led assault on Israeli communities, a music festival, and military sites. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded that Hamas and other armed groups deliberately killed civilians, took hostages, and committed other crimes; it found the attack was planned and coordinated. Recurring claims include evidence about sexual violence and victim counts and civilian status.
What independent investigators found
The UN Commission’s 2024 report says armed groups deliberately targeted civilians at multiple locations in southern Israel, killed and injured people, and abducted hostages. UN Commission of Inquiry findings.
The Commission confirmed attack helicopters were present on October 7 but did not attribute civilian or civilian-car deaths, including near the festival, to helicopter fire. A viral infrared clip came from an IDF video released October 9, showing strikes in Gaza on October 8. FactCheck.org’s video analysis.
Casualty figures
Casualty figures changed as authorities identified victims and distinguished civilians, security personnel, and foreign nationals. Israel’s National Insurance Institute publishes casualty data and explains that its totals refer to people it handles as civilian terror victims, a specific administrative category. The UN Commission’s report separately gives a dated breakdown based on Israeli sources. See the page on victim counts and the UN report and conference paper.
Other pages here examine sexual violence, hostage appearances, claims by public figures, and incidents involving hostage posters. Hamas released videos showing hostages smiling or waving, while the UN Commission documented abductions involving physical, mental, and sexual violence. Read the hostage-video evidence and documented examples of online amplification.
Hamas and its partners attacked civilians, and the UN Commission found that armed groups deliberately targeted civilians at multiple locations.