An aerial view shows the bodies of victims of an attack following a mass infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip lying on the ground in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, in southern Israel, Oct. 10, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ilan Rosenberg

A new report by Amnesty International has found that Palestinian terrorist group Hamas committed crimes against humanity during its attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and against hostages it took to Gaza.

The London-based human rights group said that its report, published on Wednesday, analyzed patterns of the attack, communications between fighters during the assault, and statements by Hamas and the leaders of other armed groups.

Amnesty interviewed 70 people, including survivors and victims’ families, forensic experts, and medical professionals, visited some attack sites and reviewed more than 350 videos and photographs of attack scenes and of hostages during their captivity.

Its investigation found that the crimes against humanity included murder, extermination, imprisonment, torture, rape, and other forms of sexual abuse and inhumane acts.

“These crimes were committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack against a civilian population. The report found that fighters were instructed to carry out attacks targeting civilians,” it said in a statement.

Hamas denied in a statement that it had carried out the crimes mentioned in the report and urged Amnesty International to retract it.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the report did not cover the full extent of what it called “Hamas‘s horrific atrocities.”

Around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the Hamas attack and 251 people were taken hostage, including children. All but one have since been released, most of them as part of ceasefire deals and some in Israeli military operations.

Israel responded to the Oct. 7 massacre with a military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s political rule and military capabilities in neighboring Gaza.

A December 2024 report by Amnesty determined that Israel had committed genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. Israel has rejected genocide accusations, and says that its war has been against Hamas, not the Palestinians.

Amnesty Israel, the organization’s local chapter, distanced itself from the December 2024 report, stating that while the devastation in Gaza had reached “catastrophic proportions,” it did not meet the legal definition of genocide. Members of the branch criticized the global office for reaching what they described as a “predetermined conclusion.”

Other critics of the report also argued Amnesty’s bar for declaring genocide was misguided, noting widely recognized historical examples of genocide such as the Holocaust for comparison.

Amnesty has long been accused of maintaining an anti-Israel bias. Its December 2024 report outlined numerous recommendations urging the international community to exert intense pressure on Israel — including the immediate halt of all military aid to the country — but failed to make any mention of pressuring Hamas to release the hostages.