Foreign Minister Israel Katz has encouraged a global campaign to raise awareness about the Hamas sex crimes of October 7. This is an important message, and it is essential that countries around the world respond to the new United Nations report on the sexual violence that occurred during the Hamas massacre of on that tragic day.
We must leave no stone unturned in spotlighting Hamas’s crimes, particularly how it has weaponized sexual assault as part of its campaign of genocidal attacks against Jews and Israel. The sex crimes of October 7 were a systematic part of the campaign launched by the brutal terrorist group, which was designed not only to massacre people and erase their presence, but also to brutalize their bodies and use sex as a weapon of degradation.
Recent recordings released by Israel reveal the presence of terrorists inside Israel on October 7, who phoned their friends back in Gaza to brag about kidnapping women, whom they portray as sexual objects and as spoils of war. It’s important to note that Hamas’s crimes are similar in this respect to those carried out by ISIS against women in August 2014, when it targeted the Yazidi minority in Iraq. These two groups are similar in their genocidal views and desire to massacre other groups, whether they target Jews or Yazidis, Kurds or Christians.
The recently released report by the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, concluded that there was “clear and convincing information” of rape and sexualized torture being perpetrated against hostages seized during the October 7 terror attacks.
Israel is right to highlight Hamas’s crimes
Israel is right to highlight these crimes. The purpose of the State of Israel is to provide a message of “Never Again” in relation to the historic crimes committed against Jews over the last 2,000 years. Tragically, on October 7, Jews were once again at the mercy of their enemies. The attack shows how important the state is in terms of protecting people.
If it were not for the State of Israel, these Hamas crimes would only be the tip of the iceberg concerning what extremists seek to do to the Jewish people. We have seen evidence of this abroad, with protesters and extremists targeting synagogues in the West. In particular, they have been targeting hospitals that have historic Jewish connections and Holocaust museums, and ripping down posters of the kidnapped.
This is an unprecedented global campaign against Jews, and part of it seeks to weaponize sexual-based offenses. For instance, there is a widespread campaign of denial abroad regarding Hamas committing rape and other sexual crimes.
There is also a widespread campaign on social media that is dehumanizing Jewish female victims. For example, it has mocked women released from Gaza, creating images of them smiling during their release to portray them as being “in love” with their captors. This is a systematic anti-Jewish, chauvinist campaign all wrapped into one, with the toxicity of the current pro-Palestinian movement in the West. For that reason, we must be even more vocal in confronting these extremists.
It is time the UN defined Hamas as a terrorist organization. Its crimes against humanity must be punished. Its leaders must be found and brought to trial for the crimes of October 7. The campaign Israel is now waging to shed light on the crimes will include media interviews and pushing messages around the world to engage in meetings with decision makers and find other ways to get the message out.
Toward that end, Patten, President Isaac Herzog, and First Lady Michal Herzog have also held a conversation in the last month.
The abusive terrorist group targeted women, especially during the attack and in the kidnappings, and it has demanded a higher “price” for them in the hostage talks. This is all part of how Hamas views Jewish women as specific targets. A key part of genocidal organizations is often the targeting of women and children. The UN report presents further evidence of how Hamas has carried out these crimes.
We expect world leaders to support Israel in this time of trauma. We expect that countries will mobilize to recognize Hamas’s crimes on October 7 and highlight the abuse of women that Hamas carried out.
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