Hamas hostages in Gaza still face sexual violence
I traveled to Israel just three days after the Oct. 7 massacre. I was already in the region as part of a bipartisan, bicameral congressional delegation to advance peace negotiations when Hamas terrorists attacked.
The brutality and destruction I saw on that visit still haunts me. The massacre had shaken every Israeli, leaving them afraid and uncertain in their own homes. Everyone was mourning the 1,200 lives lost and the hundreds more taken into Gaza as hostages. Others were trapped in a tortuous limbo, with loved ones kidnapped to the other side of the Gaza border. For so many Israelis and Jews, the trauma of Oct. 7 is still unfolding.
As videos and stories started circling, the world began to see the extent of Hamas’ brutality, including the weaponization of horrific sexual violence against Israeli women.
After surviving unthinkable violence, many women have bravely shared their stories with the world. But instead of applause for their courage and bravery, they faced scrutiny, threats and dismissal.
Survivors must be believed
In the past several years, we’ve made incredible progress in listening to women and treating them as experts in their own experiences. But I’m devastated that the harrowing stories I heard firsthand from survivors in Israel were being disbelieved and denied.
Voices on social and traditional media have denied or even justified Hamas’ crimes since the beginning, a conspiracy that has now infected our mainstream discourse.
For Jews, the violent reports of the massacre echoed so many of the stories we had all grown up hearing from our grandmothers and grandfathers − stories about Jews being forced from their homes, separated from their families and killed for their faith. But then, as is happening now, when we look around for allies, we often find ourselves alone.
Despite overwhelming evidence of Hamas’ use of sexual and gender-based violence as a weapon of war on and since Oct. 7 survivors have been ignored and belittled.
The U.N. report confirms what survivors and experts have been saying for months, including the devastating reality that most victims of sexual violence on Oct. 7 were murdered. Those victims were never given the opportunity to speak out, leaving a survivors with the burden and trauma of untold stories.
Refusal to acknowledge the truth, and the irrefutable evidence of their horrific experiences, ensures that violence inflicted on women will continue unabated. We cannot tell 1 in 3 women across the world who have suffered physical or sexual violence: “Don’t speak up. No one will believe you.”
Women in Israel and in every corner of our world deserve better.
That’s why I recently held a forum bringing together second gentleman Doug Emhoff; Michael Herzog, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S.; special envoy Deborah Lipstadt; female members of Congress; Jewish female civil society leaders; and Israeli law enforcement to call attention to Hamas’ use of sexual and gender-based violence.
As the first Jewish congresswoman from Florida, and as a fierce defender of women’s rights, I am called, both by the constituents I represent and by my faith, to not stand idly by when injustice happens right before our eyes.
We must speak out
We will not allow skeptics to silence us. We will not allow antisemites to commandeer our conversation, place our trauma in “proper context” or decide which stories are worth telling and believing. Hamas used rape as a weapon of war on Oct. 7 and continues to violate hostages in captivity. These are facts. Now, we as a country have to decide what we will do about it.
My colleagues in the House and I have taken a first step by passing a resolution condemning these acts and demanding that all international bodies condemn sexual and gender-based attacks as a weapon of war, including when committed against Jews.
While I’m proud there is consensus in opposition to Hamas’ unthinkable crimes, I’m shocked that so many others refuse to recognize the humanity of Hamas’ victims.
We must continue to fight to bring the remaining hostages home. Today, 134 of those hostages remain in Hamas captivity − 134 friends and family members who’ve missed countless milestones and moments while separated from their loved ones. Eight are U.S. citizens.
I’m grateful for all of the work President Joe Biden has done to fight for their safe return, especially as nightmarish testimony is shared by survivors. The fact that those still held in Gaza face the same sexual violence only escalates the urgency of securing their freedom.
There is no time to waste. Every day the hostages remain captive is dangerous. And when they come home, if they decide to tell their stories, we need to believe them.