Israel-Hamas war: Sexual violence by Hamas ‘beyond anything that I’ve seen’: Antony Blinken
The US has weighed in on the alleged conspiracy of silence over rapes and sexual crimes committed by Hamas militants. Warning: Graphic
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has blasted the United Nations and other leaders for being so slow to condemn rapes and other sexual attacks by Hamas terrorists — which he says are “beyond anything that I’ve ever seen.”
“The atrocities that we saw on October 7 are almost beyond description or beyond our capacity to digest,” Mr Blinken said in an interview with CNN.
“And we’ve talked about them before, but the sexual violence that we saw on October 7 is beyond anything that I’ve ever seen, either.”
The failure to condemn, and in some cases failure to even believe, the reports of sexual violence is something about which “these organisations, these countries need to ask themselves.”
Mr Blinken was asked whether he thought the UN’s stalled acknowledgment was due to anti-Semitism.
“I don’t know why countries, leaders, international organisations were so slow to focus on this, to bring it to people’s attention,” Mr Blinken responded.
“I’m glad it is finally happening.”
At first, several US politicians questioned the reports, according to the New York Post, but House Democrats are now planning to introduce a resolution condemning Hamas’ use of rape against Israeli women as a weapon of war.
Reports of widespread rape in Israel during Hamas’ attack were first reported last month, when the Physicians for Human Rights Israel published its initial assessment.
“What we know for sure is that it was more than just one case and it was widespread, in that this happened in more than one location and more than a handful of times,” Hadas Ziv, the group’s policy and ethics director said.
One combat medic also told the Associated Press how he came across at least a half dozen bodies of women and men with possible signs of sexual assault.
The bodies had mass bleeding around the groins, he said, with limbs distorted at odd angles.
Israeli police say they are now combing through some 60,000 videos seized from terrorists’ body cameras, from social media and from security cameras, as well as 1000 testimonies to bring the perpetrators to justice.
But it has been difficult to find the rape survivors, as many had been killed afterwards.
GAL GADOT SLAMS GLOBAL RESPONSE TO HAMAS RAPES
Gal Gadot has called on the UN to demand that militant terror organisation Hamas release every female hostage taken on October 7.
Referring to Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel at a music festival and in several kibbutzes, Gadot, 38, wrote in an Instagram post: “The world has failed the women of October 7th.”
“On October 7th, the world witnessed Hamas carrying out its violent plans in real time. Within hours of the October 7th attack, the first blood-chilling video emerged of Shani Louk being paraded naked and defiled by her proud assailants,” Gadot continued, referring to the 23-year-old German-Israeli tattoo artist who was kidnapped by Hamas at the Nova music festival and later beheaded.
“Yet two months later women are still hostage to these rapists and the world has failed to call this situation what it is: an urgent emergency that demands a decisive response,” the Wonder Woman star continued, referring to reports that have emerged of Hamas raping women during their attack.
“This is our moment as women and allies of women to act. I am beseeching all those who have done so much for women’s rights globally – from the UN, to the human rights community, to please join in the demand that Hamas release every single woman hostage immediately – not after the next round of international mediation, not after another day. These women cannot survive another moment of this horror,” she wrote.
Gadot, who is Israeli, has been vocal about her support for her country since Hamas attacked on Oct. 7, seizing over 200 hostages and leaving a death toll of more than 1200 people.
During a four-day ceasefire that began November 24, more than 100 hostages from Israel were freed in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinians who were held in Israeli prisons during the truce.
Those released by both sides have been mostly women, girls, and children.
The temporary truce ended on December 1, as Israel resumed intense combat in Gaza.
Israel’s retaliation strikes on Gaza have further led to a death toll of reportedly over 17,000 Palestinians, which has prompted world leaders and celebrities to call for a ceasefire.
‘SHE WAS SCREAMING! STOP IT ALREADY!’
More details are emerging from those who are recovering human remains from the massacres on October 7, or those who escaped death on that day but witnessed atrocities.
The New York Post reported the eye witness account of one survivor in which he recalled seeing a “beautiful woman with the face of an angel’’ as she was raped by eight to 10 Hamas terrorists, while another tragic victim was beheaded with a shovel while trying to defend herself.
Survivor Yoni Saadon, a 39-year-old father of four, told the UK’s Sunday Times that he is still haunted by the horrific scenes he witnessed at the Nova Music festival, when the Hamas fiends slaughtered at least 364 festivalgoers, including the gang-raped woman, who begged to be killed.
“I saw this beautiful woman with the face of an angel and eight or 10 of the fighters beating and raping her,” recalled Saadon, a foundry shift manager.
“She was screaming, ‘Stop it already! I’m going to die anyway from what you are doing, just kill me!’
“When they finished, they were laughing, and the last one shot her in the head,” he said.
Saadon said he witnessed the atrocity after pulling the dead body of a woman over him and smearing her blood on himself so it looked like he was dead.
“I will never forget her face,” he said.
“Every night I wake to it and apologise to her, saying, ‘I’m sorry.’”
Saadon said he eventually fled and hid in bushes where he witnessed two more Hamas gunmen attack another young woman.
“They threw her to the ground, and one of the terrorists took a shovel and beheaded her,” Saadon said.
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Originally published as Israel-Hamas war: Sexual violence by Hamas ‘beyond anything that I’ve seen’: Antony Blinken
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