Hamas's disgusting work… sexual violence used as a weapon of war; shocking revelations in the report

News Topical, Digital Desk : Hamas used sexual violence as a “tactical weapon of war” in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, an Israeli report said Tuesday, based on other investigations by international and Israeli human rights groups and the United Nations.

In the report released by the Diana Project, a team of experts presented their findings based on statements from survivors and witnesses, forensic investigations, visual and audio evidence.

Why is there a lack of crucial evidence?

The report said Hamas silenced its victims by killing them, leaving investigators with a lack of crucial evidence to hold perpetrators accountable. "Most victims were permanently silenced. They were either killed during or after the attacks or were too traumatized to speak out. This created rare evidentiary challenges," the report said.

The details of these people are included in the report

These cases therefore underscore the need for a more accommodative legal approach to conflict-related sexual violence. The report includes accounts from a victim of attempted rape at a music festival, 15 returned hostages, 17 witnesses, and several first responders. In some cases the Diana Project conducted its own interviews, while in others it relied on publicly available testimony or published accounts.

Fifteen former hostages experienced or witnessed some form of sexual assault, including physical sexual violence, forced nudity, verbal harassment, and threats of forced marriage after the rape. Two male hostages said they were physically abused after being stripped naked.

Witnesses indicated at least 15 separate sexual assaults, including at least four incidents of gang rape. Its findings showed patterns in the sexual assaults, with victims found partially or fully naked with their hands tied. Gang rape followed by murder, mutilation of genitals and public humiliation showed that sexual violence was deliberately used as a 'weapon of war'.

Attack in Gaza, five Israeli soldiers killed

Five Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack in Gaza on Tuesday. While 18 people were killed in Israeli attacks in the Palestinian territory. Israeli soldiers were targeted by planting explosives in northern Gaza.

This bloodshed has taken place during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House. However, so far Trump has not been able to broker a "deal" between the two warring parties.

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