Remember Dinah - the biblical figure, Jacob’s only daughter, whose story of rape appears in the Book of Genesis but whose voice was never heard. So is called the new project developed by Israel and supported by UK, showing the weaponizing of sexual violence by Hamas on October 7.
October 7, 2023 was a terrible day. And this is understatement. After meticulous preparation Hamas and its supporters attacked Israel sending approximately 6,000 terrorists into Israel. The most affected places were: NOVA festival which was taking place close to the Gaza border, few border IDF bases and few kibbutzim near the border. Over 1,100 Israelis have been killed, some 250 taken as hostages.
Some of the terrorists, who committed unbelievable atrocities were later proved to use Captagon, stimulant drug used often by terrorists and militant groups.
During the viscous attack many instances of sexual violence took place, as proved by forensic findings, eyewitnesses tales, returned hostages stories and pictures from the massacre sites. Among findings are the bodies of young women, naked or half-dressed, found tied to trees or poles. Some of these women had been shot in their intimate organs, and in some cases, they had undergone gang rape before being murdered. Eyewitnesses, including survivors who hid in bushes, described cases of attempted rape even after death (after JP 7/6/25). The aim of the project and report that is about to be published is, after independent confirmation of presented facts, to include Hamas on the list of groups using sexual violence as a weapon, alongside organizations like ISIS and Boko Haram.
Such measures are taken because many international experts on violence, like Samantha Pearson, formerly the director of the University of Alberta Sexual Assault Centre, denied such claims. Samantha Pearson was subsequently fired for endorsing public letter titled "Stand with Palestine: Call on Political Leaders to End Their Complicity in Genocide!", which denied that Israeli women were subjected to sexual violence by Hamas after UN team finds ground to support reports of sexual violence committed by Hamas on October 7. It saw “credible circumstantial information which may be indicative of some forms of sexual violence, including genital mutilation, sexualized torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.” That included photos and videos showing a minimum of 20 corpses with clothes that had been torn, revealing private body parts, and 10 bodies with indications of bound wrists and or tied legs.
All these facts are known for a year and a half, so why now another report and another commission? First, there is more and more evidence, since hostages were returned from captivity. The other reason, and the reason I write about it, is that women organizations, human rights organizations, some sexual violence experts (as shown above) were oftentimes defending Hamas against sexual violence committed during the murderous attack. Even though captured terrorists themselves admitted to such crimes. Evidently "Believe women" cry does not pertain to Israelis.
So what could stand behind it? Apart from open hostility towards Israel, Jews and victims of October 7, apart from slightly covered, if at all, warm feelings towards Hamas there is one more interesting thing. Israeli society stood behind women victims. They need not be ashamed of being raped, they don't have to hide it. It stands in vast contrast with attitudes towards women raped in Europe or Korea during II world war, raped in Europe during Balkan wars, raped in Congo during many wars in this country (including sexual violence committed by UN troops), raped in Nigeria by Boko Haram...
Maybe staying side by side with Israeli women would validate the question: where were men of the society, society's social services and families of victims in other places?
Maybe the fact that Israel is pursuing justice for victims of sexual crimes shows more than others wish to digest looking at their own societies? Maybe it is more (hopefully) than simple "serves them right" some of so called experts evidently think. Maybe some reflection may pursue Project Dinah and showing reluctance to stand by victims of sexual abuse by these who also try not to see overwhelming sexual and domestic abuse in types of conservative societies Muslim terrorist groups proclaim. See no evil should never be a way to go.
Here is a link to documentary about sexual crimes committed on October 7.
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