Israel looks into Hamas’s sexual assaults as part of the October 7 atrocity.

The recent attacks in Israel on October 7, orchestrated by Hamas, have led to a comprehensive investigation by Israeli police, focusing on documenting cases of sexual violence. Amidst the chaos, there have been reports of women and girls suffering not only physical harm but also sexual abuse. Police Superintendent Dudi Katz reported that over 1,000 statements and 60,000 video clips have been collected, with accounts including sightings of rapes, although firsthand testimony from survivors is lacking. The attacks resulted in approximately 1,200 Israeli casualties and numerous injuries, with over 240 hostages taken, sparking the current conflict. The death toll in Gaza, controlled by Hamas, is reported to be over 11,000.

Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai stated that while prosecution is a future possibility, the current focus is on documenting these atrocities. Concurrently, Cochav Elkayam-Levy, a human rights law expert at Hebrew University, has initiated a civil commission to record these violations. She expressed concern about the global community overlooking the violence against Israeli women and girls amidst the broader conflict. Elkayam-Levy highlighted the absence of acknowledgment of sexual violence in a recent United Nations statement, calling it a failure not only to Israeli victims but to humanity itself.

Reports of horror

The October 7 attacks in Israel have been marked by extreme and shocking violence, as described in accounts to CNN. A paramedic from the elite 669 Special Tactics Rescue Unit, experienced in handling various casualties, recounted the unprecedented brutality he witnessed. In Kibbutz Be’eri, while searching for survivors, he found two teenage girls’ bodies in a bedroom. One was on the bed, covered in bruises and with a chest wound, while the other lay on the floor, pants pulled down and with a bullet wound near her head, suggesting sexual assault.

This paramedic’s observations are part of a broader pattern of targeted violence against women, as evidenced at the Nova music festival, where numerous young attendees were killed. Rami Shmuel, an organizer at the festival, witnessed the aftermath, noting female victims without clothes, suggesting sexual violence. He pointed out that women appeared to be specific targets, as men were not similarly undressed. Shmuel’s observations raise concerns about the intentional targeting of women for sexual violence during these attacks.

A long investigation ahead

The investigation into the horrific events of October 7 in Israel, as acknowledged by the police, is expected to be lengthy and complex. Human rights law expert Elkayam-Levy pointed out the uncertainties surrounding the legal proceedings, including where the prosecutions might take place. She mentioned that families of dual nationals might seek justice in countries other than Israel and even consider international courts.

A recent press briefing by officials provided a chilling insight into the type of evidence being gathered. A statement from an unnamed woman, who witnessed the Nova festival attack while in hiding, was shared. She described a brutal scene where a female victim was sexually assaulted and then passed to another assailant. The witness recounted the victim being alive, standing, and bleeding from her back. She observed one attacker pull the victim’s hair, mutilate her by cutting off her breast, and then throw it towards the road where others began to play with it. The witness further described seeing another person sexually assault the victim and fatally shoot her in the head while doing so. This testimony adds to the growing body of evidence documenting the extent of the violence and brutality of the attacks.