At today’s Backbench Business Debate on the impact of conflict on women and girls, a number of Labour MPs highlighted the sexual violence against Israeli women and girls committed by Hamas and other terror groups during the 7 October Hamas attacks.
In her speech, LFI vice-chair Sharon Hodgson MP said: “I will focus on the terrible war in Israel and Gaza, the sexual violence against Israeli women and girls committed by Hamas on 7 October 2023, and the sexual violence against Palestinian women and girls since then.
As many of the victims on 7 October were murdered or died from their wounds, we may never have an exact picture of what happened in that murderous attack. What we do know is that Hamas’s violence against Israeli women was a well-documented case of mass, organised sexual violence, not least because the perpetrators proudly filmed, advertised and celebrated their crimes. One account from a first responder at Kibbutz Be’eri reported “piles and piles” of dead women who were “completely naked” from the waist down as well as horrific sexual mutilation.
Rami Shmuel, an organiser of the Supernova music festival and a witness of the massacre, in which 360 people—mostly Israelis—were murdered, saw female victims with no clothes as he escaped. He said: “Their legs were spread out and some of them were butchered.” Another Supernova survivor, Yoni Saadon, reported seeing “eight or 10 of the fighters beating and raping” one woman. She also said: “When they finished they were laughing, and the last one shot her in the head.” These were not random acts, but a systematic effort that the women’s rights campaigner Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari has characterised as a “premeditated plan to use sexual violence as a weapon of war.”
We must also take a moment to recognise that Hamas’s sexual violence may even be ongoing. Around 100 Israelis —the figure may be just under that, according to last night’s news—remain held hostage in Gaza, of whom we know 12 are women and girls. Reports have indicated and survivors have confirmed that both female and male hostages have been subjected to sexual assault in their 424 days in captivity.”
She continued: “The Israeli women and girls subjected to sexual violence on 7 October 2023 were met with deafening silence from many agencies and organisations founded to support victims. Many organisations initially ignored or minimised Hamas’s crimes of sexual violence, or even doubted that they had even taken place. UN Women issued multiple statements following 7 October, none of which made reference to the sexual violence of that day. The UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls blandly expressed concern about “reports of sexual violence that may have occurred since 7 October committed by State and non-State actors against Israelis and Palestinians.”
Worse, many supposed feminists dismissed discussion of Hamas’s rape as colonial feminism and unverified accusations; the latter will be all too familiar to those victims brave enough to report their experiences, whether in conflict zones or non-conflict zones. We know that this is sadly all too true for most victims of sexual violence.”
Later in the debate, Emily Darlington MP said: “As we have just heard from my hon. Friend the Member for Washington and Gateshead South (Mrs Hodgson), rape was used as a weapon in Israel. I do not want to repeat what she said, but despite the fact that it has been well documented, even by the armed perpetrators, the majority of organisations still fail to acknowledge the sexual violence that took place on 7 October.”
Likewise, Kirsteen Sullivan MP said: “We have heard some stark examples of the gendered impact of conflict on specific areas. As my hon. Friend the Member for Washington and Gateshead South (Mrs Hodgson) mentioned, rape was used as a tool of terrorism on October 7. That was compounded by so many people who knew better ignoring and downplaying those atrocities, adding yet another injustice to the women who suffered.”
You can read the full debate here.
