Hamas’s Sexual Violence Is Laid Bare. But Will Anything Change?

Israeli captives who have been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, stand escorted by Hamas terrorists on a stage before being handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Feb. 8, 2025. AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana

Commentary

As painful as this is for me to write, I felt compelled to respond to an article that appeared in the May 14 issue of The Baltimore Sun, “Civil Commission report says Oct. 7 sexual violence in Israel was deliberate, coordinated.” Firstly, as the expression goes, “No duh!”

Most Jews and Israelis around the world already know this. Was this information not obvious from the immediate aftermath of Hamas’s brutal, horrific attack on Oct. 7, 2023, at the Nova music festival in the Negev desert?

Was it not obvious in the news coverage? Was it not evident in the video footage Hamas deliberately released to the public to provide further torment and anguish?

I suppose not everyone has heard of the women Hamas terrorists tied to trees and raped and mutilated. I was already aware of the woman they continued to rape after she was dead. The blind hatred and animalistic behavior should appall everyone, whether or not you agree with the politics involved with the State of Israel.

I’ll never forget reading about the woman whose breasts they cut off before they killed her. Unfortunately, these images will remain embedded in my mind for the rest of my life.

Hadassah instituted the “End the Silence” campaign to shed light on these atrocities and hold Hamas accountable. Hadassah’s policy statement says, “As a global humanitarian organization, Hadassah continues to speak out to end the silence on sexual violence and urges all people to join in that call to action.”

“Rape and sexual violence should never be used or sanctioned as a weapon of war,“ it states. ”Not by Hamas against Israeli women and girls. Not by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. Not in Myanmar or Sudan or The Democratic Republic of the Congo. Not anywhere.”

Are there some who only now believe the truth of these atrocities because it is the result of an independent investigation—and a study, no less, that took two years to complete?

According to the Civil Commission, “for the first time, these crimes can be understood in their full scope, structure, and operational logic and documented in a way that establishes a clear foundation for accountability.”

The commission states: “The findings established that sexual violence was not incidental. It was deliberate, coordinated and embedded in the attack itself.”

I don’t understand how anyone could condone this behavior or support terrorists and terrorism that leverages such evil and inhumane tactics against nonmilitary (civilian) men, women, and children. How can one allow such hatred to turn oneself into such a savage beast with no regard for fellow human beings?

Listed under “Legal Findings,” the commission’s website reads, “Based on this body of evidence, the Commission concludes that these acts constitute: war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocidal acts under international law.”

According to CNN’s coverage of this report, author and human rights expert Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy said the goal of the report—and a digital archive that contains all the evidence the team collected—is making sure that the suffering endured by the victims could not be “denied, erased or forgotten.”

So now what?

In 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for several Hamas leaders accused of war crimes. In the United States, one man in Louisiana was arrested for his participation in the attack. And, according to the Jerusalem Post, three people were arrested as infiltrators.

According to NBC News, the United States charged six senior leaders of Hamas “with terrorism and other crimes in connection with the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.”

Is that enough? As with any crime, do the victims get justice? Do the guilty get imprisoned? Will the victims be able to overcome their trauma? Will the world defend and support the innocents, or will people turn their backs, or, worse yet, accuse the victims of being the criminals? Will the spike in anti-Semitism continue, worsening conditions for Jews around the world?

Also, as of this writing, the ceasefire situation with Hamas seems to be stuck in a holding pattern after the Hamas–Israel war, and no new progress can be achieved in any reconstruction, peace negotiations, or relief for the Palestinian people.

Hamas refuses to disarm, and that is a nonnegotiable condition mandated by the United States, Israel, and the Board of Peace. We should all support this position.

This situation and world events in general affect us all in one way or another. Hate and intolerance are ubiquitous, and those who choose to act rashly on them are a danger to everyone.

Originally published on The Baltimore Sun