Horrific accounts of sexual violence in Hamas attack: Report

On October 7, when Hamas launched an attack, the Israeli military established an impromptu morgue of refrigerated shipping containers at the Shura defense base in central Israel for the identification and preparation of the deceased for burial. Authorities reported that of the 1,200 people killed that day, and at least 300 were women.

Shari Mendes, a reservist who assisted medics at the base, told Reuters, “Often women came in in just their underwear.” She also described challenging situations, and mentioned witnessing disturbing injuries, such as “very bloody genitals on women.”

Israeli police are investigating potential sexual crimes by some of the few hundred people that they arrested after the October 7 attack.

Their objective is to prosecute every suspect in custody. However, challenges have arisen in the investigation, with some women’s clothes being buried with them before examination due to Jewish burial traditions.

The alleged sexual crimes during the attack, considered the bloodiest in Israel’s history, present hurdles. Some battle sites remained inaccessible for days, hindering evidence collection.

The Justice Ministry told Reuters that victims experienced torture, physical abuse, rape, burning alive, and dismemberment. Hamas denies allegations of sexual assault or mutilation by its armed wing on October 7 or afterward.

The UN commission of inquiry investigating war crimes in the Israel-Hamas conflict will examine the sexual violence allegations by Hamas. Israel criticises the UN, accusing bias and refusing cooperation with the investigation.

In Israeli criminal law, sexual violence includes rape and other offenses.   urviving victims and witnesses, estimated to be a “few dozen,” have sought help, though it can take years for some to come forward.

Authorities face challenges due to decomposition, making forensic evidence difficult to obtain. Legal experts suggest a potential reliance on the legal doctrine of shared responsibility for prosecutions, requiring proof of intent and co-conspiracy.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague may handle prosecutions if challenges arise in Israel.

“Normally the Israeli Defence Force, the Israel government, would say ‘we have no dealings with the ICC,'” Geert-Jan Knoops, lead defence counsel at the tribunal, told Reuters.

“But this is going beyond any imagination. I think Israel has the interest to provide the evidence to the ICC prosecutor and for the Oct. 7 events.”

With inputs from Reuters