On the morning of October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a deadly surprise attack on the State of Israel. Under the cover of the chaos created by the attack, severe and systematic sexual crimes were committed primarily against female civilians, as well as male civilians and other individuals encountered. The widespread chaos disrupted the functioning of emergency, medical, and security forces responsible for providing assistance, and in some cases, documenting events at terror sites, thereby impairing the ability of state mechanisms to identify and document these heinous crimes.

Despite myriad indications from the field, the response to the sexual crimes was largely minimal and even bordered on denial, a fact that undermined the ability to generate recognition for the victims, provide a system of healing, and subsequently hold the perpetrators accountable. This reality raises a fundamental question: how is it possible that a strong, Western nation finds itself in a position where it struggles to prove, at an evidentiary level, such severe crimes and their scope, which amount to crimes against humanity

The RAIA Project was born out of the need to bridge these gaps, recognize the severe consequences of substantial evidence loss, and offer tools and mechanisms that will enable effective identification and documentation of sexual crimes, both on October 7th and in future terror scenes. Its goal is to ensure recognition and healing for the victims and to prevent terrorist organizations from exploiting the chaos they create to evade responsibility for their actions.