A British report published on Wednesday is one of the most shocking documents written about October 7 since the horrific massacre. The 315-page report, compiled over the past year by British Members of Parliament, meticulously details the events of that tragic day in harrowing detail.
Warning: viewer discretion is advised, as it includes graphic and disturbing descriptions.
The report was authored by British MPs from the British-Israeli parliamentary lobby. At the outset, the authors note that the work of the "Parliamentary Committee on October 7" is ongoing. "This report is the first publication aimed at preserving an accurate record of the events. If new details emerge from official inquiries or newly disclosed information, the commission will continue to verify and update the report," the introduction states.
The report's stated goal is to combat denial of the massacre. Lord Andrew Roberts, a historian and member of the House of Lords, explains:
"It took years for Holocaust denial to take root socially, but in the case of October 7, it took only hours before people began claiming that the massacres in southern Israel never happened… Hamas and its allies, including people in the West, sought to deny the atrocities, despite the ironic fact that much of the evidence for the massacres came from footage recorded by the terrorists themselves, as well as other sources."
"This report was compiled to counter such harmful views and to establish irrefutable evidence - for now and for years to come - that nearly 1,200 innocent people were indeed murdered by Hamas, often in scenes of sadistic barbarism not seen in world history since the 1937 Nanjing Massacre."
"As a non-Jewish person, I believe it is crucial to prevent the emergence of a modern version of Holocaust denial, denying October 7. After the Holocaust, non-Jews like me owe a great deal to the Jewish people. This can only be done through fact-based investigative work like this report, which is dedicated to Emily Damari, a British hostage held in Gaza for 471 days, and to her incredibly courageous mother, Mandy Damari, whom we met in Israel and London."
The report presents extensive data on the attack and describes the October 7 massacre as "one of the largest terrorist attacks in history," which resulted in 1,182 deaths and over 4,000 injuries. In total, 251 hostages were taken, 210 were alive, while 41 were corpses. It was the deadliest massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust, and in relative terms, the attack claimed the lives of more than one in every 10,000 Israelis. It ranks as the third-deadliest terrorist attack in history.
Beyond the physical harm, the report highlights the mental health consequences, stating that since October 7, individuals and entire sectors of Israeli society have suffered from trauma. More than 90% of those killed or taken hostage were Israeli civilians, including Jewish Israelis, Arab Israelis, and foreign nationals from 44 countries worldwide. In total, 863 civilians were killed on October 7, accounting for approximately 73% of the day's victims.
The report details the methods by which victims were killed, including gunfire, strangulation, fire, grenade explosions, RPGs, and missile attacks.
"Many victims were subjected to mutilation, sexual violence, brutal abuse, and other forms of intentional cruelty before or after death. Forensic teams faced immense challenges in identifying remains due to the extent of body desecration, with some victims identified months later through dental fragments."
The report includes evidence of Hamas's sexual violence, noting that over 20 bodies were found partially or fully naked - most of them women - whose clothing had clearly been torn off. Some bodies were discovered with their legs spread apart. At least 10 corpses were found with their hands or legs bound.
Audio recordings recovered from Hamas terrorists reveal that they shouted commands in Arabic during the massacre, including "Take off your clothes" and "Spread your legs." The report documents accounts of women being tied to trees or poles and raped, women who were mutilated, and even reports of corpses that were sexually violated.
According to the report, 3,800 Hamas Nukhba terrorists infiltrated Israel on the morning of October 7, supported by 2,200 gunmen from other groups, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Another 1,000 terrorists remained in Gaza to operate the rocket systems and provide logistical support for the attack. In total, 3,873 rockets were fired at Israel on October 7, with an additional 987 launched over the following two days. As a result, 75% of Israel's population, across 498 cities and towns, was forced to take shelter.
Hamas infiltrated 32 Israeli towns and cities, killing 416 people within hours. Of the 251 hostages, 183 were abducted from Israeli communities near the Gaza border. By October 11, 89% of the border-area population had been evacuated, and tens of thousands were forced to relocate to temporary housing for their safety.
The report underscores the massacre at the Nova music festival, which claimed over 370 lives, most of them under the age of 30. It also highlights Hamas's sexual assaults, which have been repeatedly denied by its supporters.
"The atrocities committed by Hamas and allied groups on October 7 mark a day of unprecedented violence. There are numerous reports of deliberate killings, hostage abuse, sexual violence, and desecration of both the living and the dead. Women and girls were particularly vulnerable during the attacks. Reports detail gang rapes, genital mutilation, and assaults on both the living and deceased. At the Nova festival, bodies were found partially naked, and some women were found with their hands tied and shot multiple times, some executed with close-range shots to the head."
The report also details how thousands of civilians participated in looting, abuse, hostage-taking, and the murder of Israelis. It outlines the involvement of UNRWA staff members in the massacre, who were found to be serving within terrorist organizations in Gaza.
Regarding the nationalities of the victims and hostages, the report states that out of the 1,392 victims, 1,116 were Israeli civilians. Additionally, 158 had dual or even triple citizenship, one of which was Israeli, and 118 victims were foreign nationals.
The report concludes that the massacre was the deadliest attack ever against British civilians in the Middle East, with 18 British nationals murdered in the horrific assault.
