Hamas sexual violence on 7th October attack. Content warning.

[ArabellaScott]

A new investigation has shared more information on details of Hamas' atrocities.

I do urge caution when reading, and don't if you are feeling fragile.

'An independent, Israeli investigation has published harrowing details of "systematic, widespread" sexual violence by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups during the attacks on 7 October 2023, and against hostages.
The 300-page report concludes that rapes, sexual assault and sexual torture were intended "to maximize pain and suffering".
While the UN and others have published reports on sexual violence during the attacks – in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage – this is the most comprehensive.
It draws on 430 filmed interviews with survivors and witnesses, more than 10,000 photographs and videos filmed by attackers, and official records and material from attack sites.'

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgz9k7pzggo

Oh fantastic - there's a podcast! Will have a listen. Thanks v much for the post. Is there a website?

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/feminists-against-antisemitism-podcast/id1869055413

I'm sorry but 'It's simple' is possibly the most stupid thing I've ever heard anyone say about Israel/Palestine.

https://feministsagainstantisemitism.substack.com/

Bloody devastating.

My heart breaks for them.

https://www.7octparliamentarycommission.co.uk/second-edition

'The memo plans how “each wave [would be] predetermined and has its own documents, maps and objectives sealed in envelopes held by the brigade commander.” Sinwar wrote that the attack must be filmed and broadcast live - as they did with gopros and body cameras. “It must be emphasised to the unit commanders that these things are to be carried out deliberately. That is, to document and broadcast the images as quickly as possible: stepping on the heads of soldiers, point-blank shootings, slaughtering people with knives, blowing up tanks, prisoners kneeling with their hands on their heads, and the like.”'

'Intelligence and operational evidence show that nine factions coordinated through the “Joint Room for Palestinian Resistance Factions,” including the Izz Al-Din Qassam Brigades, Al-Quds Brigades, Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, Jihad Jibril Brigades, National Resistance Brigades, Nasser Saleh Al-Din Battalions, Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, Holy Warriors’ Battalions, and Al-Ansar Brigades. Approximately 7,000 individuals took part in the attack—3,800 from Hamas and 2,200 from allied groups and civilians who crossed the border—while an additional 1,000 operatives remained in Gaza to provide operational support and launch rocket and drone attacks during the assault.

https://archive.ph/84yld

'The evidence is overwhelming. Women were raped. Bodies were mutilated. One survivor described hiding for hours while hearing women around her screaming as they were assaulted. Others have spoken about sexual abuse in captivity.
Yet much of the international feminist movement hesitated, equivocated or simply stayed silent. That silence was devastating. I wish I could say I was surprised. But, as a black woman who has spent years challenging the way violence against women is sometimes softened or excused in the name of culture or politics, I have seen this selectivity before. For years some activists insisted on framing FGM as a “cultural practice” that simply required understanding rather than calling it what it is: violence against girls.

What makes the indifference to the rape of Israeli women so disturbing is that it reveals something darker. Antisemitism. When Jewish women were raped during a massacre, many of the voices that speak loudly about women’s rights fell silent or, worse, questioned whether it happened at all.
...
If those tasked with protecting women’s rights cannot acknowledge rape when the evidence is overwhelming, how can victims anywhere believe the system will stand with them?
For years activists have repeated the slogan “Believe women”, but principles mean nothing if they collapse when the victims are Jewish. If the rape of Israeli women can be denied, questioned or ignored because it is politically inconvenient, then every woman in every conflict zone is less safe.
Because the message to the world’s warlords and terrorists becomes clear. Rape is still a weapon. And sometimes the world will look away.
The suffering of women on October 7 cannot be undone. But the lesson we choose to take from their suffering will shape the future. Either rape in war is always a crime against humanity. Or it depends on who the victim is.'

Nimco Ali in the times. March.

you know what breaks my heart about this? Jewish women feeling unsupported by other women. They deserve to feel as loved and valued and cared about as any other woman on this planet. It’s a travesty that they don’t. I suppose there are people in every walk of life that will hate people of any religion or colour that is different to their own, but how dreadful is it that a Jewish woman could look at me and think “does she hate me because I’m Jewish”. (I obviously feel that way about any woman who has the burden of racism) but my grandmother and aunts were Jewish women and they all married out of their faith so no longer identified as Jewish in the same way someone who practises Judaism does, but the idea my grandmother would be worried about being disliked for her Jewish heritage really upsets me. From being born, to her last days she must have always secretly been worried in some way because her whole life was tarred with antisemitism.

'The Evidence

The Commission’s findings are grounded in an unprecedented body of reviewed documentation:
Over 10,000 photographs and video segments
More than 1,800 hours of visual material
430+ testimonies and interviews with survivors, witnesses, released hostages, experts, and family members
Victims from 52 nationalities, in addition to Israeli victims'

'Based on this body of evidence, the Commission concludes that these acts constitute:

• War crimes
• Crimes against humanity
• Genocidal acts under international law

The report further identifies conduct amounting to torture, sexual slavery, persecution, and terrorism-linked sexual and gender-based violence.

The scale, coordination, and repetition of the conduct demonstrate a widespread and systematic attack against civilians, in which sexual violence was deliberately used as a method of terror..'

Sheryl Sandberg, Founder, Lean In

“When I first learned what happened to women and girls on October 7 and in the months of captivity that followed, I could not understand how so much of the world remained silent. This report refuses that silence. Drawing on more than 430 testimonies, over 1,800 hours of visual analysis, and thirteen documented patterns of violence, it is the most comprehensive evidence assembled to date, and the foundation on which accountability must now be built. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Elkayam-Levy and the Civil Commission for the rigor and moral courage this work required. The victims were never silent — the world was. This report ensures that can never be said again.”

What's that wobbly sound? It's the sound of @Dressfinder's arse being served back to her on a Wedgwood plate.

I am posting excerpts but I will try to not post anything upsetting.

I mean there is a limit to how much can be posted without it being upsetting, it's all upsetting.

They are proposing a definition of a new crime, calling it 'kinocide'.

'The Civil Commission on Oct. 7th Crimes by Hamas against Women and Children has released a groundbreaking report titled Kinocide: The Weaponization of Families. ...Focusing on kibbutzim and other residential communities, the report exposes the deliberate targeting and exploitation of families, including brutal murders in front of loved ones, the abduction of entire families, and the forced separation of parents and children. It sheds light on this often-overlooked aspect of the attack, revealing the extreme brutality inflicted on family units.

Beyond documenting the events of October 7, the report analyzes the legal framework identifying these acts as a new international crime. It calls for recognition of the victims' suffering and presents actionable recommendations for the international community, urging the formation of a coalition to address these atrocities and prevent their recurrence—drawing parallels to global efforts to recognize and respond to atrocities. '

It's awful that this term exists, but as noted, it may be of use when describing and recording crimes like those committed by Hamas.

'The report identifies kinocide as a global issue, drawing parallels to similar atrocities in Iraq, Syria, Rwanda, Bosnia, Myanmar, and other conflict zones. These findings underscore the urgent need for international recognition and action to prevent and address such targeted violence.

The weaponization of families is neither new nor unique, as historical and contemporary examples reveal systematic exploitation of familial bonds to exert harm. Cases such as the Armenian Genocide, the Kiev pogroms, and the cultural genocide of Indigenous peoples in Canada demonstrate tailored violent measures aimed at undermining family structures to weaken communities, exert control, or further ethnic cleansing. Similar tactics have been documented in Argentina, Iraq, Syria, Sierra Leone, Myanmar, and Rwanda, among others, with actions ranging from forced separations, abuse, and re-education of children to rape and execution of family members.'

The Commission have also created an archive, including much documentary evidence.

https://www.civilc.org/archive

• Open-Source Data (OSD): Digital artifacts secured through dedicated Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) operations, capturing real-time digital records of the events.

• Closed-Source Data (CSD): Targeted deposits from first responders, specialized documentation partners, and institutional sources including original witness and survivor testimonies recorded directly by the Commission.

' Access is limited to authorized staff and expert reviewers, with plans for selective access for legal and academic professionals over time.'

Could you maybe not, Bella?

Thanks for posting all of these Arabella. It’s all horrific and totally heartbreaking. I can’t stop thinking about what Hamas forced relatives to do to each other.

I vacillate between wanting to not know anything about it all, and despair that nobody talks about it, DialSquare.

Fine, I'm off to give my sage advice to the people on the relationships board.

Oh my… 'You guys are mean, just like Israel!'

I'd say that @Dressfinder gave herself a thorough pounding. So to speak.

I don't normally applaud mentally when posts are deleted, I'd usually prefer to let them to stand as monuments to their own stupidity, but some of the posts on this thread (particularly that last one) have been so horrifically vicious that in this case I'm really happy about it..

Kinocide is such an utterly disturbing concept. Deeply cynical, psychopathic, aiming to cause maximum suffering.
Attacking the core of human connections.
Made me think of Yarden Bibas and Eli Sharabi. Both of their families murdered, both subjected to psychological torture by Hamas during their captivity.

Oh god I haven’t read this, just reading this post is enough. So truly horrifying.