From Jewish Women International on March 4, 2024:
Today, the U.N. confirmed what we’ve long known: On and after October 7, terrorists committed sexual violence against Israeli women, men, and children.
A U.N. fact-finding team recently deployed to Israel “found clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape, sexualized torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment has been committed against hostages and has reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing against those still held in captivity,” according to their just-released report.
The team found that sexual violence took place at the Nova music festival and on Road 232, along which hundreds of people tried in vain to escape, and in multiple locations across the Gaza periphery. They found that terrorists raped and then killed, as well as killed and then raped their victims. They also found evidence of sexual torture.
The investigators claimed that they could not verify all instances of sexual violence that have been reported, adding that the “lack of trust” in the United Nations from survivors and their families “hindered access to survivors of the attacks.”
“The true prevalence of sexual violence during the 7 October attacks and their aftermath, may take months or years to emerge and may never be fully known,” they added.
But we have already seen abundant evidence that such crimes occurred.
They’ve been confirmed by international, independent news organizations and NGOs, by first responders and witnesses.
We at JWI know from our decades of trauma-informed, survivor-centered work that the victims of Oct. 7 who are still alive may never come forward.
The ongoing online disinformation campaign attempting to discredit them dehumanizes Israeli women and silences any survivors or witnesses.
We must do everything we can to show Israeli women — and the world — that we believe them.
Jewish Women International is working around the clock with our global partners to combat this disinformation, to support Israeli women and girls, and to hold the perpetrators of sexual violence accountable.
