7 October Parliamentary Commission Report Chaired by Lord Roberts of Belgravia

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Lord Roberts of Belgravia, Lord Michael Farmer, Lord Ken Macdonald of River Glaven Kt KC, Sharon Hodgson MP, Baroness Claire Fox of Buckley, Greg Smith MP, & Baroness Julie Smith of Newnham | APPG 

A view of Kibbutz Be’eri in February 2024By Israel Preker Pikiwiki Israel, CC BY 2.5

The Hamas-led attack on Southern Israel on 7 October 2023 was one of the largest terror attacks in history, resulting in 1,182 fatalities and over 4,000 wounded. A total of 251 hostages were taken – 210 were alive and 41 were dead bodies.[1] It was the largest single massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust and the deadliest per capita terrorist attack, with just over 1 in every 10,000 Israelis killed and the third overall deadliest terrorist attack in the world to date.[2]

The attack resulted in over 4,000 wounded individuals treated at hospitals, with gunshot wounds, grenade injuries, and burns. Trauma centres like Soroka and Barzilai Medical Centres faced overwhelming numbers of severe cases, treating patients whilst under ongoing rocket fire. The mental health repercussions since 7 October, including PTSD and suicides, have led experts to classify the event as a mass trauma affecting Israeli society.

Over 90% of those killed or taken hostage were Israeli citizens, including Jewish Israelis, Arab Israelis, and Bedouins. Many of the Israelis that were killed were also dual nationals. Citizens from 44 nations around the world were killed and taken hostage. The largest group of foreign victims were from Thailand, many of them agricultural workers in the Kibbutzim and Moshavim (small communal and agricultural villages). Seventeen British nationals were killed and 2 were taken hostage. One of these British hostages was killed in captivity, and the other was released after 471 days in captivity.

A total of 863 civilians were killed on 7 October, accounting for 73% of the dead. [3] The remaining 27% of fatalities were those serving in active duty – either in the military or as first responders.[4] Women and children account for 27% of those killed during the attacks and 49% of hostages taken alive – 316 and 102 respectively. The youngest victim of 7 October was just 14 hours old – her mother had been shot whilst driving to the hospital to give birth and a bullet hit the baby girl’s leg whilst in utero. The oldest victim was a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor, who was killed at Kibbutz Holit.

The victims were killed through shootings, asphyxiation and burning, grenade explosions, RGP and missile attacks. Many victims were subjected to mutilation, sexual violence, and other forms of deliberate brutality before or after death. Forensic teams faced immense challenges in identifying remains due to the extent of desecration to bodies, with some victims identified months later through fragments like teeth.

Hamas orchestrated and led the attack, with 3,800 of its elite Nukhba forces and members of Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades invading Southern Israel. They were supported by 2,200 individuals from other armed groups, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad and civilians from Gaza. A further 1,000 individuals stayed in Gaza to operate rocket launchers and provide tactical support.

The exact date of when Hamas began planning the attack is not known, but the concept is believed to have taken shape before 2014, with official preparations beginning from 2021.[5] In 2018, Hamas spearheaded the creation of the “Joint Room for Palestinian Resistance Factions,” an alliance designed to coordinate operations against Israel. The alliance included the following groups, each of which participated in the attack on 7 October:

• Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas),

• Al-Quds Brigades (Palestinian Islamic Jihad),

• Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine),

• Jihad Jibril Brigades (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command),

• National Resistance Brigades (Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine),

• Nasser Saleh al-Din Battalions (Popular Resistance Committees),

• Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades (ex-Fatah),

• Holy Warriors’ Battalions (Mujahedeen), and

• Al-Ansar Brigades (Al-Ansar Movement).

Hamas maintained strict secrecy regarding the 7 October attack, with the operation details withheld from most of its fighters until hours before its execution. Only a small group of senior leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and Mohammed Deif, the head of Qassam Brigades, were fully aware of the plan. Lower-ranking commanders and participants were informed of their roles just days, or even hours, in advance.

The preparation for the attack involved extensive training, including drills of storming mock Israeli communities, breaching defences, and rehearsing hostage taking. There was advanced intelligence gathering, and detailed mapping of the locations they would attack.

When the militants crossed the border, they came armed with advanced RPGs, drones, small arms, and explosives, including thermobaric weapons. The sheer volume of arms was designed to cause maximum destruction. Weapons such as the strip-and-frame charge explosive were specifically created for the attack. The explosive frame was designed to breach the border and to be affixed to home saferoom doors in Israeli border communities, to break in.[6]

The perpetrators documented their actions on the day, through GoPro body cameras and mobile phones. They livestreamed and recorded their actions, uploading them to social media sites like Telegram.

Many attackers used GoPro body cameras, mobile phones, and even the phones of their victims to livestream their actions. Videos and images were uploaded in real-time by Hamas and other groups to platforms like Telegram and sometimes directly to victims’ accounts. This footage showcased graphic killings, abductions, and desecration of bodies, often accompanied by celebratory captions. Footage depicted hostages being mistreated, corpses desecrated, and victims in their final moments.

The Hamas-led attack began with an unprecedented barrage of rockets, aimed at southern Israel and the larger metropolises across the country. This was followed by 119 breaches in the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel over the course of the attack, and simultaneous incursions by air and sea.

The attack began at 06:29 on the Jewish Sabbath and festival of Simchat Torah, with a massive rocket barrage sent by Hamas and allied groups. A total of 3,873 rockets were fired into Israel on 7 October, followed by another 987 on 8 and 9 October.[7] This triggered alerts across 498 communities and affected 75% of Israel’s population. The number of rockets was unprecedented and stopped residents from leaving the envelope, ensuring that the maximum number of civilians remained in the area when the border was breached.

A coordinated attack was simultaneously underway at the border. The attackers used drones, snipers, and explosives to disable surveillance and defensive systems. By the end of the day, the border had been breached at 119 points, enabling the entry of thousands of militants into Israel. The attack also included air and sea breaches, with Hamas using reconnaissance paragliders to cross the border under the cover of rocket fire and deploying naval commandos in dinghies and fast boats to infiltrate Israel’s coastal defences near Zikim Beach.

Hamas-led forces attacked 32 civilian communities – Kibbutzim and Moshavim – in Israel’s Gaza Envelope killing 416 in a matter of hours. Of the 250 total hostages taken during the attack, 183 were from these villages.

Once the border had been penetrated, the attacking forces breached community defences and caused widespread destruction. Kibbutzim such as Be’eri, Kfar Aza, and Nir Oz were the worst affected. Be’eri and Kfar Aza experienced the highest death tolls, with 99 and 62 civilians killed respectively.[8] Nir Oz saw the most kidnappings, with 75 people taken hostage, alongside 7 abducted bodies. The communities were attacked by Hamas, other armed groups, and Gazan civilians. They destroyed homes, committed atrocities, systematically looted, and set fire to properties. Fierce battles ensued at some locations, with some areas only reclaimed by Israeli forces on the evening of 7 October and others remained contested for days. By 11 October, 89% of the communities in the Gaza envelope had been evacuated, displacing tens of thousands of people.

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