A Quest for Justice
A Quest for Justice
'A Quest for Justice: October 7 and Beyond' is the first comprehensive legal and evidentiary framework to analyze the systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war in the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 and during the hostages' subsequent captivity.
'A Quest for Justice: October 7 and Beyond' is the first comprehensive legal and evidentiary framework to analyze the systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war during the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 and during the hostages' subsequent captivity.
Unlike prior reports that focus on documenting the atrocities, this book establishes a legal infrastructure for prosecuting the sexual violence crimes, even when specific acts cannot be attributed directly to individual perpetrators.
The book is based on testimonies of survivors and others, and on forensic evidence, and utilizes international law and principles of criminal responsibility, including the doctrines of joint criminal enterprise and derivative liability. The book indicates that the sexual violence crimes were not random and isolated incidents but rather, part of a deliberate methodical strategy of genocide.
What makes this book different?
The book presents a comprehensive evidentiary model that integrates multiple layers, including testimonies of survivors and others, forensic and digital evidence, and field reports.
The book advances beyond the language of human rights and sets out the legal doctrines (such as joint criminal enterprise, derivative liability) that will facilitate criminal prosecution.
The book not only documents the events, but delineates an innovative roadmap enabling criminal prosecution.
The book not only targets local justice systems but also global mechanisms, from international protocols to UN blacklists.
The book 'A Quest for Justice: October 7 and Beyond' was written by an all-women team of globally recognized legal and gender experts. As such, it challenges governments, the ICC, the UN, and human rights bodies, calling on them:
- To prosecute Hamas terrorists for crimes against humanity
- To include Hamas in UN blacklists of organizations that employ sexual violence as a weapon of war
- To alter global legal standards for contending with conflict related sexual violence, in Israel and abroad
The book is not an official Israeli government or human rights NGO publication.
This is a document of global importance that could shape the approach adopted by judicial courts and tribunals, UN bodies, and prosecutors worldwide when addressing sexual violence used as a weapon of war.
The book ‘A Quest for Justice: October 7 and Beyond is the first publication of its kind, setting out an innovative legal and evidentiary framework enabling criminal prosecution for the systematic sexual violence committed by Hamas during the October 7 attacks and during the hostages’ captivity. This attack represented a violent and murderous campaign with genocidal intent.
This is a comprehensive in-depth book and not just another human rights report. The book delineates the first global roadmap of its kind, proposing legal approaches that will facilitate prosecution of sexual violence as a weapon of war, even when evidence is complex, survivors have been silenced (sometimes forever), and when individual perpetrators can’t be tied to specific acts.
The evidence gathered leaves no room for doubt: sexual violence was deliberately deployed as a weapon of war on October 7.
This conclusion demands the creation of a new legal framework for achieving justice and accountability.
FAQ
What is the Dinah Project?
The Dinah Project is made up of senior legal and gender experts determined that the world never forget the heinous gender crimes perpetrated on October 7, 2023 and during the hostages’ captivity. Founded in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attacks, the project mobilized not only to bear witness to the atrocities, but to counter denial, misinformation, and global silence surrounding one of the most underreported dimensions of the attack: the systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. The project is named after Dinah, whose rape is the first recorded in the Bible and who is a symbol of recognition for all victims of sexual abuse. The name also denotes law and justice. Dinah’s voice remains mute in the biblical story, and so we are committed, in her name, to raise the voices of all victims of CRSV, wherever it occurs.
How has the Dinah Project contributed since its establishment?
Thanks to the expertise and professionalism of its leaders, the Dinah Project has provided briefings to the UN Security Council (New York), the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (Geneva), and senior White House staff, as well as to high-level domestic officials and policymakers. The project has presented its findings and legal positions to dozens of ministers of foreign affairs, ambassadors, and diplomats across Europe, North America, and the Far East.
The Dinah Project was instrumental in bringing to Israel a UN fact-finding mission led by Pramila Patten, Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict (SRSG-SVC). The mission, which arrived in Israel shortly after the events of October 7, documented clear evidence of severe sexual violence, including rape, gang rape, sexualized torture, humiliation, and cruel treatment, and concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence was deliberately deployed during the October 7 attacks continued during the hostages’ subsequent captivity.
What is the impact of the Dinah Project?
In a remarkably short period, the Dinah Project has played a central role in shaping international recognition of the sexual violence committed on October 7. Its work has informed official UN processes and reports, including the adoption of the findings of the SRSG Patten report by the UN Secretary-General in his annual report on conflict-related sexual violence. Following publication of the Dinah Project’s book, the UN Secretary-General announced that Hamas will be added to the UN blacklist of groups that commit sexual violence as a weapon of war. The book’s systematic documentation of testimonies and evidence directly influenced this international recognition and reinforced the project’s role in shaping global accountability mechanisms.
The project actively promotes international investigations and mechanisms for attributing criminal liability, including advocacy for the listing of Hamas under relevant UN mechanisms for the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war. It advances an innovative legal thesis of collective and joint responsibility, aimed at enabling domestic and international prosecution even where direct attribution to individual perpetrators is impossible. The Dinah Project’s work has been widely cited and discussed in international media, diplomatic forums, legal institutions, and academic settings around the world.
What is 'A Quest for Justice: October 7 and Beyond'?
‘A Quest for Justice: October 7 and Beyond’ is the first comprehensive legal and evidentiary framework to analyze the systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war in the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 and during the hostages’ subsequent captivity. Unlike prior reports that focus on documenting the atrocities, this book establishes a legal infrastructure for prosecuting the sexual violence crimes, even when specific acts cannot be attributed directly to individual perpetrators. The book is based on testimonies of survivors and others, and on forensic evidence, and utilizes international law and principles of criminal responsibility, including the doctrines of joint criminal enterprise and derivative liability. The book indicates that the sexual violence crimes were not random and isolated incidents but rather, part of a deliberate methodical strategy of genocide.
First published in English and subsequently released in Hebrew and additional languages, ‘A Quest for Justice: October 7 and Beyond’ is not an Israeli government paper or a human rights NGO report but rather, a globally relevant legal intervention, designed to shape how courts, UN bodies, and prosecutors worldwide approach conflict related sexual violence.
How can one join or engage with the Dinah Project?
The Dinah Project works in collaboration with experts, civil society organizations, academic institutions, and policymakers in Israel and internationally. Individuals and institutions committed to advancing recognition of, attribution of responsibility for, and justice for victims of conflict related sexual violence are invited to engage through partnerships, conferences, briefings, legal initiatives, and advocacy efforts.
How can the Dinah Project be supported?
The Dinah Project relies on public and philanthropic support to sustain its work. Support can be provided through financial contributions as detailed on the website, as well as through professional, academic, and public engagement. Contributions directly support research, evidentiary analysis, international advocacy, and efforts to counter denial, disinformation, and silencing of sexual violence in conflict.
Why is the Dinah Project relevant beyond the Israeli context?
The Dinah Project is not only about Israel. October 7 serves as a global legal test case for addressing conflict related sexual violence in situations where evidentiary challenges are acute and traditional criminal law frameworks fall short. By developing and advancing new legal and evidentiary approaches, the project seeks to influence international standards and mechanisms for attributing criminal liability, thereby contributing to the effort to promote protection of victims of sexual violence in conflicts worldwide.
Prof. Ruth Halperin-Kaddari,
Judge (Ret.) Nava Ben-Or,
Att. Col (Res.) Sharon Zagagi-Pinhas
Authors
Nurit Jacobs-Yinon
Visual Editor
Prof. Ruth Halperin-Kaddari,
Judge (Ret.) Nava Ben-Or,
Att. Col (Res.) Sharon Zagagi-Pinhas
Authors
Nurit Jacobs-Yinon
Visual Editor