Israel is right to highlight Hamas's sexual crimes - editorial

• Published date: 08 March 2024
• Author: JPOST EDITORIAL
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

We must leave no stone unturned in spotlighting Hamas's crimes, particularly how it has weaponized sexual assault as part of its campaign of genocidal attacks against Jews and Israel. The sex crimes of October 7 were a systematic part of the campaign launched by the brutal terrorist group, which was designed not only to massacre people and erase their presence, but also to brutalize their bodies and use sex as a weapon of degradation

Recent recordings released by Israel reveal the presence of terrorists inside Israel on October 7, who phoned their friends back in Gaza to brag about kidnapping women, whom they portray as sexual objects and as spoils of war. It's important to note that Hamas's crimes are similar in this respect to those carried out by ISIS against women in August 2014, when it targeted the Yazidi minority in Iraq. These two groups are similar in their genocidal views and desire to massacre other groups, whether they target Jews or Yazidis, Kurds or Christians.

The recently released report by the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, concluded that there was "clear and convincing information" of rape and sexualized torture being perpetrated against hostages seized during the October 7 terror attacks.

Israel is right to highlight Hamas's crimes

Israel is right to highlight these crimes. The purpose of the State of Israel is to provide a message of "Never Again" in relation to the historic crimes committed against Jews over the last 2,000 years. Tragically, on October 7, Jews were once again at the mercy of their enemies. The attack shows how important the state is in terms of protecting people.

If it were not for the State of Israel, these Hamas crimes would only be the tip of the iceberg concerning what extremists seek to do to the Jewish people. We have seen evidence of this abroad, with protesters and extremists targeting synagogues in the West. In particular, they have been targeting hospitals that have historic Jewish connections and Holocaust museums, and ripping down posters of the kidnapped.

This is an unprecedented...