What we know about rape and sexual violence committed by Hamas during terror attacks in Israel

Unveiling the Gruesome Reality of Sexual Violence During Israel Terror Attacks

One corpse was so mutilated that the crew from ZAKA, an ultra-orthodox organization responsible for Jewish remains recovery, couldn't determine its gender.

Grayman recounted finding a woman with a shot to the head and lying naked from the waist down on a bed, holding an unexploded grenade. Then, there was the body with the nails.

"I was called to a house, and they said there wouldn't be many bodies there. I saw a woman lying in front of me. Naked and her fingers ...", Grayman began, trailing off before continuing. "Try to speak."

"She had fingers and various objects inside her genitals. Her body had been brutally treated, and we couldn't identify her", he added, his trauma painted all over his face.

Grayman was tested during the UN conference on sexual and gender-based violence in New York, held under Israel's initiative within the UN headquarters. He was one of several witnesses, all providing evidence of sexual violence and rape during the October 7th attack, with Hamas using such acts as a weapon of war.

Although CNN cannot independently verify individual allegations, multiple firsthand responders at the October 7th attack site told CNN that the attack was horrifying, with some women found naked.

![The Supernova Music Festival grounds were littered with personal belongings; hundreds were killed, and dozens were taken captive by Hamas militants near the border with Gaza on October 13. Israel has sealed off Gaza and launched sustained retaliatory air strikes, killing at least 1,400 people and displacing more than 40,000 (REM, ISRAEL – 13. OKTOBER: Zerstörte Autos und persönliche Gegenstände bleiben verstreut auf dem Gelände des Supernova-Musikfestivals nahe der Grenze zum Gazastreifen am 13. Oktober 2023, wo Hunderte getötet und Dutzende von Hama von Militanten aus Sri Lanka entführt wurden. In Israel. Nachdem die Hamas einen groß angelegten Angriff gestartet hatte, blockierte Israel den Gazastreifen und startete kontinuierliche Vergeltungsangriffe aus der Luft, bei denen mindestens 1.400 Menschen getötet und mehr als 400.000 Menschen vertrieben wurden. Am 7. Oktober startete die palästinensische bewaffnete Organisation Hamas von Gaza aus über Land, See und Luft einen Überraschungsangriff auf Israel, bei dem mehr als 1.300 Menschen getötet und etwa 2.800 Menschen verletzt wurden. Auch israelische Soldaten und Zivilisten wurden von der Hamas als Geiseln genommen und nach Gaza gebracht. Der Angriff veranlasste den israelischen Ministerpräsidenten Benjamin Netanjahu, den Krieg zu erklären und eine Notstandsregierung für den Krieg zu bilden")

Mounting Evidence

The evidence presented at the UN conference was striking and numerous, hailing from various sources.

Grayman shared his experiences during the rescue mission and the testimonies of survivors collected by the Israeli police chief Yael Richet.

Richet reported survivors' accounts of witnessing Hamas terrorists committing sexual violence against victims. She quoted numerous individuals, either direct witnesses to sexual violence or with clear proof of its occurrence.

Richet cited a survivor of the Nova Music Festival massacre, who recounted: "Some girls had their womb broken and their legs split in two as a result of repeated rapes."

"We heard screams of girls being taken from the kennel. Girls were raped. Then, they were burned. All the corpses outside were burned.", Richet quoted from another source.

Shari Mendes, a 21-year-old reservist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), whom they had charged with handling the bodies of the female soldiers killed during the attack, described the evidence she had seen. The bodies often appeared as "bloody rags" or simply wrapped in a pair of underpants, frequently soaked with blood.

Photographs and videos from the attack site corroborated Mendes' description. A CNN-filmed video in a Gaza community even showed a barefoot young woman being dragged out of the Jeep's trunk and forced onto the backseat, her pants apparently stained with blood.

"Our captain saw several female soldiers shot in the genitals, in the intimate area, in the vagina or the breasts. 'There seemed to have been a systematic practice of genital mutilation', she added.", Mendes went on.

The Israeli parliament held a separate session last week on sexual violence. Knesset member Julia Malinowski accused Hamas of "raping women to humiliate the state of Israel."

Despite the evidence, Hamas repeatedly denied the accusations of sexual violence by their militants during attacks.

Israeli and US officials believe that Hamas continues to hold certain young and middle-aged women captive, despite their public announcement of releasing all women and children during the truce last week. US President Joe Biden stated on Tuesday that Hamas' refusal to release them "undermines the agreement and ends the ceasefire."

Difficult Investigation

The Israeli police admitted earlier that they had questioned suspects, collected evidence from the attack site, and interviewed witnesses as part of an investigation into sexual crimes and other atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7.

Although the evidence found on the victims' bodies seemed compelling, the police claimed last month that they had no statements from survivors themselves and were not even sure if any survivors remained alive.

Since the swap of hostages from Gaza, several have reported sexual abuse during their capture.

After a private meeting with several of the released hostages and relatives of the still-held individuals, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that he had heard stories of sexual abuse.

"I have heard, and you have heard, that the incidents of sexual abuse and brutal rape are unique.", Netanyahu said at a press conference.

The Israeli public broadcaster Channel 11 obtained and released audio recordings of the meeting on Tuesday, where former hostages shared their experiences in captivity.

"They touched her there.", one said.

In addition to Israel, multiple international organizations have promised to investigate the sexual crimes committed by Hamas. Last week, the head of the UN investigation commission announced that they would investigate the alleged sexual violence on October 7.