A cross-party commission of British Parliamentarians this week released the 7 October Parliamentary Commission Report, also known as The Roberts Report—the most comprehensive investigation to date of Hamas’s October 7 terror attack on Israel.
Chaired by historian Lord Andrew Roberts and commissioned by the UK-Israel All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), the 318-page report draws on forensic evidence, survivor testimonies, and open-source footage to meticulously document the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. The report exposes the premeditated and systematic nature of the attack, disproves false narratives, and underscores the brutality Hamas inflicted on innocent civilians.
The World Jewish Congress urges the international community and Jewish organizations to engage with this landmark report. Its findings are essential in countering denial of the atrocities, honoring victims, and preserving historical truth. We encourage you to read the report, share its findings, and challenge those who spread misinformation.
Key Findings:
The Roberts Report provides an unflinching account of the horrors of October 7, laying bare the extent of Hamas’s atrocities and the targeted nature of their assault.
- Mass Murder & Targeting of Civilians: Hamas terrorists killed 1,182 people, injured over 4,000, and kidnapped 251 hostages, including 18 British nationals—the deadliest attack on UK citizens abroad since 9/11. The report affirms that 73% of those murdered were civilians, from a 14-hour-old infant to a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor.
- Planned Atrocities: Hamas spent years preparing for the attack, building mock Israeli communities for training exercises. Their fighters entered Israel carrying detailed lists of civilians to be killed or abducted. The assault was not spontaneous warfare—it was a deliberate massacre designed to maximize terror.
- Unprecedented Brutality: The report documents atrocities in chilling detail—families were executed in their homes, burned alive in safe rooms, or blown up with grenades. At Kibbutz Be’eri, 99 civilians were slaughtered; in Kfar Aza, 62 were murdered, including babies in their parents’ arms. At the Nova music festival, Hamas massacred over 370 young people, ambushing fleeing attendees with rifles, grenades, and RPGs.
- Sexual Violence & Mutilation: The report confirms widespread sexual violence, with victims raped, gang-raped, and mutilated before being murdered. Some corpses were desecrated—including instances of beheadings. Such sadistic brutality, the authors note, has few historical parallels.
- Hostages & Digital Terrorism: Hamas used social media as a weapon, filming their killings on body cameras and smartphones, live-streaming the massacres on Facebook, TikTok, and Telegram. They seized victims’ phones to send images of the atrocities directly to the victims’ loved ones, amplifying the psychological terror.
- Fighting Denial & Misinformation: The report addresses the rapid spread of falsehoods following October 7. Within hours of the attack, conspiracy theories sought to deny the massacres had taken place. Lord Roberts draws a direct parallel between October 7 denial and Holocaust denial, noting that misinformation today spreads faster than ever before. The report serves as a historical record of indisputable facts, based on eyewitness testimony, forensic evidence, and footage filmed by Hamas themselves.
Reactions:
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog described how the report “reflects on how the attack was premeditated, and designed to kill and kidnap, rape and mutilate, murder and maim as many innocent people as possible.” He expressed deep gratitude to the UK Parliamentarians who undertook this documentation effort, emphasizing that ensuring the world knows the truth is crucial in the fight against antisemitism and terrorism.
He praised the report for its meticulous detail, especially its final tribute section listing each victim’s name and age—a powerful rejection of Hamas’s attempt to erase their existence. Herzog also called for the immediate return of the hostages still held captive in Gaza.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews commended the British Parliamentary Commission, emphasizing that the report is vital in combating revisionism and honoring the victims.
The Board reaffirmed its solidarity with Israel and underscored the report’s role in exposing Hamas’s crimes with undeniable evidence. With antisemitic incidents rising in the UK, they stressed that truthful documentation is key to fighting hate.
Why This Report Matters:
The Roberts Report is more than a historical record—it is a moral and factual response to those who seek to distort history and justify terrorism. The report’s release strengthens UK-Israel relations, sending a clear signal that Hamas’s crimes will not be ignored or rewritten.
