What we know about the impact of rape and sexual violence committed by Hamas during its attack on Israel
Disturbing evidence of sexual violence emerged during the recovery of victims' bodies from the Hamas terror attack on Israel Investigations faced significant challenges, while the international community grappled with a mounting response
Reader discretion is advised as the following story contains graphic material. Simchat Greyman had to take multiple breaks while recounting the disturbing evidence of sexual violence he witnessed while recovering the bodies of the victims of the October 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel.
The body was so badly injured that the ZAKA team couldn't determine the gender. Greyman found a woman shot in the head, naked from the waist down, with a live grenade in her hand.
"I was summoned to a residence where I was informed of multiple bodies. As I entered, I witnessed a woman lying naked with nails...," Greyman managed to say, pausing for an extended period as he struggled to articulate the words.
"She had nails and various objects inserted into her female genitals. Her body was brutally mutilated in such a manner that we were unable to identify her," he said, the trauma evident on his face.
Greyman was providing testimony at a United Nations session on sexual and gender-based violence during the October 7 Hamas terror attack, which was hosted by Israel at the UN headquarters in New York on Monday.
One of multiple eyewitnesses was asked to speak at the meeting, presenting proof that Hamas used sexual violence and rape as weapons during the attacks. CNN is unable to confirm each allegation, but numerous first responders described the attacks on October 7 as overwhelmingly brutal and stated that some female victims were found undressed.
Personal effects are scattered around the Supernova Music Festival site, where hundreds were killed and dozens taken by Hamas.
Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images/File
Mounting evidence
During the UN session, a wealth of evidence of sexual violence was presented from various sources, including Greyman's account of his search and rescue operations and Superintendent Yael Richert's findings from the ongoing investigation with the Israel Police.
Survivors of the terror attack reported to investigators that they had witnessed Hamas terrorists committing acts of sexual violence against the victims. Testimonies from multiple individuals were quoted, all of whom had either directly witnessed sexual violence or seen clear evidence of it.
One survivor of the Nova music festival massacre was quoted by Richert as saying, "There were girls with broken pelvises due to repetitive rapes, their legs were split wide apart in a split."
We heard girls that were pulled out from the shelters. Girls that shouted. They raped girls. Burnt them just after that. All the bodies outside were burnt
Yael Richert, superintendent, Israel Police
"We have heard from girls who were pulled out from the shelters, girls who were screaming. They were raped and then burnt. All the bodies outside were burned," Richert recounted from another testimony.
Shari Mendes, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reservist who cared for the bodies of female soldiers killed in the attack, also described the evidence she witnessed. She said many of the bodies arrived in "bloody shredded rags or just underwear, often very bloody."
Photographs and videos shared by Mendes depict disturbing scenes. A video authenticated by CNN shows a young woman being forcibly taken from a vehicle by an armed individual and placed in the backseat. It is evident that her trousers are stained with what seems to be blood.
According to Mendes, "Our team leader witnessed several female soldiers being targeted in their private and intimate areas, including their genitals and breasts. It appears that there is a deliberate and systematic pattern of genital mutilation among the victims."
Last week, the Knesset, the parliament of Israel, convened a special session to address the issue of sexual violence. During the session, Knesset member Yulia Malinovsky made the accusation that Hamas was using rape as a tactic to humiliate Israel as a nation. Despite evidence, Hamas has consistently denied these allegations.
Difficult investigations
Israeli and American officials are of the opinion that Hamas is still forcibly detaining several women in their twenties and thirties, despite their commitment to releasing all women and children as part of the ceasefire agreement reached last week. President Joe Biden stated on Tuesday that Hamas' refusal to release the women was the reason for the breakdown of the agreement and the resumption of hostilities.
The Israel Police had been conducting interrogations, gathering evidence from the terror attack sites, and interviewing witnesses as part of their investigation into sexual crimes and other atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7. Despite the overwhelming evidence of sexual violence found on the victims' bodies, the police stated last month that they did not have firsthand testimony from survivors and it was unclear whether any victims had survived.
Dozens of hostages have been released from Gaza as part of a truce between Israel and Hamas, and some have reported instances of sexual abuse during their testimonies. Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned hearing these stories after a private meeting with released hostages and relatives of those still being held in Gaza on Tuesday.
At a news conference, he stated, "You've heard, and I've heard, about sexual abuse and brutal rape like nothing else."
Channel 11, the Israeli public broadcaster, has released an audio from the Tuesday meeting in which former hostages recounted their experiences in captivity.
"One of them claimed, 'They are molesting the girls and it's common knowledge.'"
In addition to Israel, numerous international organizations have pledged to look into the sexual offenses committed by Hamas. The head of a UN commission of inquiry, tasked with investigating potential war crimes during the Israel-Hamas conflict, announced last week that they will be examining reports of sexual violence reportedly perpetrated on October 7.
Demonstrators protest outside United Nations headquarters in New York City on December 4, 2023.
Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images
International response
Israel has criticized international organizations and the media for their lack of attention to the issue. Netanyahu specifically called out the UN for what he described as a failure to promptly address the allegations of sexual violence by Hamas.
Netanyahu expressed dismay at the harrowing stories of both mental and physical torture that he had heard from former hostages during a news conference in Tel Aviv. He also noted his surprise that the claims of sexual violence had not been denounced by the UN or human rights organizations until recently.
UN Women was criticized for remaining silent on the issue of Hamas sex crimes, focusing instead on the plight of women in Gaza. The agency issued a statement on Monday condemning the attacks and expressing alarm at the gender-based atrocities and sexual violence. Netanyahu also called out women's rights and human rights organizations for not addressing the rape and sexual mutilation of Israeli women.
Biden spoke out on the issue during a fundraiser in Boston on Tuesday, urging the government, international organizations, civil society, and businesses to firmly denounce the sexual violence committed by Hamas terrorists without hesitation or exception. He emphasized that the testimonies and reports shared in recent weeks have revealed unimaginable cruelty.
"Reports of women being repeatedly raped and their bodies mutilated while still alive, as well as the desecration of women's corpses by Hamas terrorists inflicting pain and suffering on women and girls, and then murdering them, is appalling," stated Biden.
Reporting from London contributed by CNN's Niamh Kennedy.
