The report by the Association of Rape Support Centers in Israel (Arcci), which oversees centers nationwide to combat sexual violence,
Published on February 21, 2024 9:00 p.m. Updated on February 21, 2024 9:14 p.m
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A woman meditates in front of portraits of Hamas hostages, February 12, 2024, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
The Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel (Arcci), which oversees sexual violence centers across the country, released a report on Wednesday, February 21, about the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7. The report highlights “similarities” in attacks against the Nova music festival, kibbutzim, military bases and people taken hostage, and specifically mentions “rapes, many at gatherings, using weapons.”
Sexual violence there was committed “systematically and deliberately against Israeli civilians,” according to this study, which is based on statements and interviews from witnesses, but not from victims.
The lack of direct and public reports from survivors and the lack of forensic expertise have not yet made it possible to draw a clear picture of these abuses and their extent.
Testimonies of freed soldiers and hostages
He quotes a survivor of the Nova Festival attack who describes “an apocalypse of corpses, of naked girls, sometimes on their upper bodies, sometimes on their buttocks.” In Kibbutz Beeri, where 90 residents were killed, rescuers said they found “bodies with signs of sexual assault.” Sexual assaults were also recorded in the attacked military bases, the report says, citing in particular a soldier stationed at one of these bases who said he saw at least ten bodies of female soldiers that clearly showed signs of sexual violence.
Released hostages such as Chen and Agam Goldstein, who were released after 51 days in detention, said they encountered “at least three female hostages who were sexually abused during their captivity.”
Israeli officials have accused Hamas of increased sexual abuses, including rape and genital mutilation, during the Oct. 7 attacks, which the Palestinian movement has always denied.