ISLAM THE RELIGION OF PEACE?????
What They Did to Victims Hamas militants and allies systematically targeted civilians with extreme brutality. Documented actions from survivor testimonies, first responders, forensic evidence, videos (including some filmed by attackers), and investigations (e.g., Human Rights Watch, UN reports, Israeli commissions) include:
Shootings and summary executions: Gunfire at close range on people fleeing (e.g., at the Nova festival, roads like Route 232), in homes, and shelters. Grenades thrown into safe rooms and bomb shelters. Many killed while hiding or trying to escape.
Burning alive: Homes and shelters set on fire, trapping families. Victims (including children and elderly) died from burns or smoke inhalation; some bodies showed signs of being burned post-mortem or while alive.
Mutilation and torture: Bodies dismembered, beheaded, or otherwise mutilated. Limbs cut off, heads smashed. Families killed together in front of each other.
Sexual and gender-based violence: Systematic and widespread, used as a weapon of terror. This included rape and gang rape (witnessed at Nova and kibbutzim), sexual torture/mutilation (targeting intimate areas, often before/after killing), forced nudity, assaults in front of family members, and postmortem abuse. Bodies found naked with legs spread or mutilated (e.g., objects inserted, faces shot). Multiple independent reports (2024–2026 Israeli Civil Commission with 400 testimonies and 10,000 images/videos; UN visits; Haaretz investigations) confirm patterns across sites, not isolated acts.
Hostage-taking and further abuse: Civilians (including children, elderly, foreigners) dragged to Gaza. Some subjected to ongoing abuse in captivity. Hamas and civilians from Gaza participated in looting and some killings.
These acts have been classified as war crimes and crimes against humanity (murder, extermination, torture, sexual violence, hostage-taking) by groups like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and others.
Hamas and other attackers did commit horrific acts against civilians, including children: Many victims (adults and children) died in homes set on fire, leading to burns, smoke inhalation, or being trapped. Forensic evidence confirms burned bodies, including some children.
Shootings: Children and babies were shot at close range, sometimes while held by parents (e.g., Mila Cohen).
Families were often killed together—executions in safe rooms, grenades thrown inside, or summary killings.
These were part of deliberate targeting of civilians, with mutilations, sexual violence, and hostage-taking also documented.