The world has turned a blind eye to Hamas sexual violence – editorial

In the immediate aftermath of the horrific and inhumane abuses, sexual assaults, and rapes inflicted on Israeli women by Hamas on October 7, the world remained largely silent. For more than a month and a half, the condemnation that was undeniably necessary never materialized.

As testimonies began to surface, some condemnations eventually followed. However, the global silence on these attacks, reminiscent of the world’s indifference in 1941, will not stand the test of time. Future generations will surely look back with disdain at today’s youth who, while trampling on Israeli flags worldwide, seemingly dismiss the terrible traumas suffered by Israeli women.

From the outset on that dreadful Saturday, it became evident that Hamas terrorists had committed sexual violence against Israeli women. Disturbing footage circulated, some even shared on channels run by Hamas, displaying women with blood-stained pants and worse.

Israel’s delayed response to the unfolding massacre was mirrored in its handling of the sexual assaults. Israeli interrogators, tirelessly working to uncover the extent of the offenses committed by Hamas terrorists, are still unraveling the grim details.

The Lahav 433 National Crime Unit of the Israel Police has amassed numerous testimonies from victims and witnesses of sexual assault. These harrowing accounts depict violent rapes, with victims dragged by their hair and left bleeding.

Individuals responsible for identifying and preparing victims’ bodies for burial recounted graphic and highly disturbing sights, with women’s faces frozen in expressions of agony. Shari Mendes, an army reservist, revealed a chilling detail at a UN sidebar event, stating, “Our team commander saw several female soldiers who were shot in the crotch or the breast. This seemed to be a systematic genital mutilation of a group of victims. It was often impossible for families to be shown faces, and it seems as if mutilation of these women’s faces was an objective in their murders.”

It subsequently emerged that Israeli men also fell victim to Hamas’s sexual assaults and rapes.

Speaking at a press conference shortly after the UN event, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized international entities for their prolonged silence, asking, “Were you quiet because we were talking about Jewish women? Where the hell are you?”

Several days later, John Kirby, a spokesperson for the United States National Security Council, acknowledged the possibility that Hamas was still employing sexual violence as a weapon. He stated, “It is a sick truth of this particular group that they use sexual violence as a weapon and a tool.”

Kirby’s implication is that Hamas is most likely sexually abusing many of the young hostages in captivity.

Yael Sherer, head of Israel’s Survivors of Sexual Violence Advocacy Group, suggested that the delay in response may stem from the unprecedented nature of these occurrences in the region’s conflicts. Moran Zer Katzenstein, head of the women’s rights group Building an Alternative, echoed this sentiment, noting that this marked the first time sexual assault played such a central role in Hamas’s attacks on Israel, used as a weapon of war.

UN Women finally condemn the rapes

Only at the end of last week did UN Women finally condemn the rapes against Israelis, stating, “We are alarmed by the numerous accounts of gender-based atrocities and sexual violence during those attacks.”

Subsequently, US-based Planned Parenthood, representing women’s rights and bodily autonomy on a national scale, condemned “the atrocities committed by Hamas and rape as an act of war in any conflict.” However, several other large women’s organizations worldwide have remained conspicuously silent on an issue that should be unequivocally condemned, underscoring the selective nature of the #MeToo movement.

These victims of Hamas find themselves gaslit over their own assaults by the very organizations that have pledged to eradicate such phenomena. To call this response disappointing barely scratches the surface; it is a total abdication of their responsibility to Israeli women.

One day, when the world reflects on the atrocities committed and the collective blind eye turned towards them, those who ignored the suffering of the victims will be viewed as complicit – akin to those who once, not long ago, disregarded the plight of the Jews.

Source » jpost.com