Horrific report leaves ‘no room for denial’
The Association of Rape Crisis Centres in Israel submitted its findings to the UN in a report detailing brutal acts of violent rape perpetrated by Hamas on October 7.
Zionist Federation of Australia CEO Alon Cassuto said he expects the United Nations to take Israel’s report of horrific sexual assault and gender-based violence during the October 7 massacre seriously, “but we have our doubts”.
Last week the Association of Rape Crisis Centres in Israel submitted its findings to the UN in a report detailing brutal acts of violent rape, often involving threats with weapons, specifically directed towards injured women, by Hamas.
It’s a graphic and distressing account, with the report describing how in some cases, rape was conducted in front of an audience, such as partners, family or friends. Some Hamas terrorists pursued victims who escaped the massacre, dragging them by their hair with screams. The majority of victims were subsequently killed during or after the sexual assault.
“The systematic and barbaric nature of the Hamas rapists is so foreign it is hard to fathom,” Cassuto told The AJN.
“The sheer number of rapes across so many sites show this was a clear operational strategy. It is extremely upsetting and difficult to read about these heinous attacks, but we cannot ignore them or remain silent.
“UN Women and other UN agencies were silent for weeks in the face of repeated reports of Hamas’s use of rape as a weapon of war. When it comes to Israel, the UN is entirely compromised. We have seen that at every level, including when it comes to the safety and dignity of Israeli women and girls.”
Executive Council of Australian Jewry immediate past president Jillian Segal told The AJN, “As we approach International Women’s Day, this shocking report should serve as an important wake-up call to the world about the Hamas atrocities of October 7.
“The sexual assaults that took place on October 7 will forever live in infamy and should be condemned by all decent people the world over.”
A spokesperson for the department of foreign affairs told The AJN that the Australian Government is aware of the report the Association of Rape Crisis Centres in Israel submitted to the UN.
“The Foreign Minister has been clear that Australia condemns Hamas’ use of sexual violence as a weapon to maximise terror and fear,” the spokesperson said.
Wentworth MP Allegra Spender urged everyone to speak out against the horrific reports of widespread rape and sexual assault perpetrated by Hamas.
Through several testimonies, the report indicates the use of sadistic practices by Hamas terrorists.
It describes how many victims’ bodies were found mutilated and bound, with sexual organs brutally attacked, and in some cases, weapons were inserted into them. Some bodies were discovered deliberately booby-trapped.
“Following October 7 we have heard horrific accounts of systematic and targeted sexual violence. These brutal practices were used to inflict sadistic terror,” Spender told The AJN.
“It is up to all of us to raise our voices and speak out against these abhorrent crimes and not let the trauma of these victims fade away.”
Goldstein MP Zoe Daniel told The AJN that her concern for the wellbeing of Goldstein’s Jewish community is in part, “driven by the trauma caused by the grotesque abuses of October 7”.
“Right from the start, I have publicly and repeatedly condemned the rapes and sexual assaults committed as part of Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7,” Daniel said.
“They are criminal breaches of international law and where possible the perpetrators should be held to account.”
CEO of the Association of Rape Crisis Centres in Israel Orit Sulitzeanu said the report, “leaves no room for denial or disregard”.
The testimonies from eyewitnesses and earwitnesses are extremely graphic and align with descriptions from first responders and corpse-handling personnel.
The report’s authors said, “As the scars in our hearts refuse to heal, and the souls of our sisters and brothers cry out to us from the depths of the earth, a significant portion of those we considered partners responded in silence and denial of these horrors.
“We call on you to raise your voices and not allow the cries of these victims to fade away.”
UN Women Australia declined to comment, referring The AJN to the United Nations itself.
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