A United Nations report has found credible allegations that sexual assaults took place during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel.
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A team led by the UN special envoy for sexual violence in conflict, Pramila Patten, found "reasonable grounds" to believe Hamas committed rape and "sexualized torture." Patten presented the report Monday at the United Nations.
The UN team did not meet with any victims of sexual violence "despite concerted efforts to encourage them to come forward," and Patten said much of the evidence was circumstantial. The team conducted interviews with survivors and witnesses of the Oct. 7 attacks, released hostages, health providers and others, Patten said.
The report comes nearly five months after the Oct. 7 attacks, which left about 1,200 people dead and some 250 others taken hostage.
In February, the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel published a report called "Silent Cry – Sexual crimes in the October 7 war", which provides a collection of testimonies and conclusions about the sexual atrocities perpetrated by Hamas in the October 7 attack and during the months of the Gaza war.
"The report is based on and analyzes testimonies that have already been heard, among others by survivors of the party and kibbutzim, rescuers, security forces, medical and rescue forces, and people who handled the many corpses in the Shora camp, and people who returned from captivity, but it is also based on information received by the Association through confidential inquiries to professionals," ARCCI wrote in the report.
Some of the testimonies were deliberated redacted to ensure the privacy of the victims, the organization noted. "Consequently, we cannot present in this document all the information and accounts that have come to us confidentially. Nevertheless, we have made an effort to provide a picture of the situation that reflects information from open sources (primarily) as well as information that we cannot fully disclose at this stage," they wrote, adding that "the information and testimonies we provide clarify beyond any doubt what occurred, but significant parts of the story are still ahead of us." They explained, "Since sexual assault typically involves delayed disclosure, especially during wartime, the picture presented in the report is still preliminary. In the months and years to come, depending on the choices of the survivors, we may be able to bring a fuller story of the sexual assaults on October 7 and thereafter to the fore."
Orit Sulitzeanu, the CEO of the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel, said: "The report leaves no room for denial or disregard. The Hamas terrorist organization chose to wound the State of Israel with two clear strategies: taking citizens captive and sadistic sexual crimes. We can no longer remain silent. We expect international organizations to take an unequivocal stance. One cannot stand idly by. Standing aside will be remembered as a historical stain on all those who chose to remain silent, suppress, and deny the sex crimes committed by Hamas militants."
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