Police in Israel are facing difficulties locating victims of alleged sexual assault or witnesses to such claimed acts that Tel Aviv alleges took place on October 7 during attacks by Hamas fighters, Al Jazeera reports according to a report by Haaretz.

The police have reportedly been unable to link evidence to alleged victims because they were killed, taken captive, or are in a state of psychological distress, it said, also quoting an investigator as saying there are “circumstantial indications” that there are still victims who are alive and have not been contacted.

The police are now calling on Israeli citizens to come forward with any accounts.

The Israeli claims have been firmly rejected by Hamas, and Palestinians have also questioned the merits of a New York Times report last week that claimed to have found evidence of instances of sexual violence on Oct 7.