A bed in Kfar Aza showing the brutality of Hamas on October 7 (vide0 snippet)

The barbaric crimes committed by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023, defied comprehension—so unspeakable that the world has struggled to grasp the full magnitude of the horror. Yet, a newly released 79-page report, painstakingly compiled by the Civil Commission on October 7 Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children, insists that silence is not an option. The world must confront these atrocities, bear witness, and demand justice.

In a groundbreaking effort to encapsulate the scale of the horror, the commission has introduced a chilling new term: "kinocide." Never before in history has there been an attack so meticulously designed to destroy the very fabric of family life—using bonds of love, trust, and identity as weapons of psychological and physical annihilation. The architects of this harrowing report, Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, Dr. Michal Gilad, and Dr. Ilya Rudyak, worked in collaboration with the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights (RWCHR) under the esteemed leadership of former Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler. Together, they forged a definition for this new crime against humanity—one that demands immediate recognition.

A Massacre Without Precedent

On that blackened day in southern Israel, over 1,200 innocent lives were brutally snuffed out, and more than 250 men, women, children, infants, elderly, and disabled people were abducted in a meticulously coordinated campaign of terror. But these were not just murders. These were acts of calculated sadism, designed not only to exterminate but to inflict maximum, generational trauma.

The methods of execution were grotesque and ritualistic. Victims were not simply shot; they were butchered in their homes. Women were torn apart before their children’s eyes. Parents were forced to watch their children subjected to medieval horrors—and then, in a final stroke of unfathomable cruelty, photos and videos of the carnage were sent to the victims’ loved ones, ensuring the agony spread far beyond the crime scenes.

One of the most chilling discoveries was a 17-minute recording capturing the slaughter of an entire family at what was meant to be a joyful 18th birthday party—a celebration that became a chamber of death. Balloons still floated in the air as blood pooled on the floor.

A Call for Justice and Global Recognition

The commission’s mission is as clear as it is urgent: to advocate for the victims, expose the perpetrators, and ensure that the world recognizes kinocide as a unique and prosecutable crime against humanity.

Genocide, as defined by the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, targets entire national, ethnic, racial, or religious groups for eradication. Kinocide, however, is a meticulously engineered destruction of the family unit—weaponizing the most sacred human relationships to amplify suffering.

Elkayam-Levy has already begun bringing this term into the global discourse. She presented her findings to 300 influential leaders at the Halifax International Security Forum, an exclusive gathering of top military officials, policymakers, academics, and security experts. The audience, accustomed to confronting global security threats, was left shaken by the unparalleled cruelty detailed in the report.

The Dvora Institute, which has lent its full weight to this research, is now pushing for urgent international recognition of kinocide as a distinct and punishable crime. The goal is not just legal clarity but action—to close the gaps in international criminal law, hold perpetrators accountable, and prevent such atrocities from ever happening again.

The Unrelenting Crusade to Bear Witness

The commission is compiling an exhaustive archive—an unprecedented collection of videos, texts, photos, and testimonies. Many of these materials were not just obtained but were actually proudly produced and disseminated by Hamas itself—a twisted testament to the terrorists' own obsession with glorifying their crimes.

For this groundbreaking work, Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy was awarded the 2024 Israel Prize, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Her efforts, alongside her dedicated colleagues, ensure that these atrocities will never be forgotten, erased, or rewritten by history’s revisionists.

A Crime Too Terrible to Ignore

The report has drawn global support from leaders across multiple disciplines, including:

  • Sheryl Sandberg, renowned tech executive and founder of Lean In, who declared: “On October 7, Hamas struck at the heart of the Jewish community: the family unit. Their atrocities sought to sever one of life’s strongest bonds. But they must never be allowed to succeed.”
  • Prof. David Crane, founding prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, who confirmed: “This report makes an indisputable case: kinocide must be recognized as a distinct war crime, and its perpetrators must face the full force of international justice.”
  • Mukesh Kapila, former UN special adviser, who underscored the urgency of action: “We lack adequate remedies for atrocity crimes. Too often, we lump together all horrors, diluting their unique impact. This study forces the world to acknowledge the unparalleled brutality of Hamas’s crimes.”
  • Roya Hakakian, human rights advocate, who noted: “The commission has done what Jews have always done in the aftermath of unspeakable tragedy—turn anguish into action, insight, and justice.”Reliving the Horror, Demanding JusticeMerav Israeli Amarant, CEO of the Civil Commission, described the painstaking investigative work that led to the report’s findings:

    “We stepped into spaces of shattered innocence—homes that should have been sanctuaries but were turned into slaughterhouses. We examined the bloodstains, the scattered toys, the bullet-riddled cribs. We listened to the sobs of survivors who lost everything. And we vowed: We will not let the world look away.”

This is a wake-up call to the global community. The systematic brutalization, weaponization, and destruction of families—whether through rape, murder, psychological torture, or generational trauma—must be recognized, condemned, and prosecuted as a distinct crime against humanity.

The terrorists of October 7 did not act in the heat of battle—they acted with premeditation, with sadistic intent, and with the goal of maximizing intergenerational devastation. This was not simply a massacre—it was kinocide.

And if the world does not act now, it will not be the last.

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