TRIGGER WARNING: Israeli civilians suffered sexual assaults ‘systematically’ during Hamas attack, says Report
Smoke rises over Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
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Israeli civilians became victims of “brutal sexual assaults” which were carried out “systematically and deliberately” during October 7 attacks assaults launched by Hamas, as per a report published by the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel (ARCCI) on Wednesday (Feb 21).
The report, which also included testimonies from forensic experts, eyewitnesses, news articles and first responders, claimed that Hamas militants - who had barged into Israel - carried out extreme acts of sexual violence and in many cases, killed them “after or even during the rape".
The report has not mentioned how many cases of sexual assault have been documented and has not even clarified if they spoke to the victims, although it added that in most cases “the victims were killed after or even during the rape.”
“Many of those who have been raped and tortured were murdered, unable to ever voice their experiences. When most of the victims of sexual assaults are murdered, we have a moral and humanitarian obligation to amplify their silent cry,” the report stated.
As per the evidence collected by the ARCCI, men, women, and children, all became victims of gruesome sexual abuse which took place on October 7.
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The report further tells about the testimonies submitted by some of the survivors which narratethe brutal nature of the sexual crimes, including the ones which took place at the Nova music festival, in southern Israel.
The report stated that “several survivors of the massacre (Nova) provided eyewitness testimony of gang rape, where women were abused and handled between multiple terrorists who beat, injured, and ultimately killed them.”
Genitals of many victims mutilated: report
The report further said that some rapes took place in front of an “audience” of the victims’ friends, partners or family and intended to “increase pain and humiliation of all present".
According to the testimonies of forensic experts and first responders submitted to the ARCCI, the genitals of various bodies were mutilated.
As per the report, some of the victims lived in communities near the Gaza Stripand were women or young girls “who were raped, mostly in their bedrooms, while partially dressed in their pyjamas.”
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Two hostages, who were released in late November, spoke about witnessing and hearing other hostages being assaulted in captivity.
Israeli police have been looking into witness testimonies, videos and transcripts of interrogationof suspects published with regards to rape cases and forensic evidence in the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
ARCCI CEO Orit Sulitzeanu said that the report had been “submitted to decision-makers at the UN [United Nations],” as per the release by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(With inputs from agencies)