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L.A. Times retracts claims Hamas is raping Israelis while numerous reports insist women are being sexually assaulted

By isabelle // 2023-10-16

The Los Angeles Times recently retracted a claim made by writer Jonah Goldberg that Hamas terrorists had been raping women as part of their horrific attacks, noting: "An earlier version of this column mentioned rape in the attacks [committed by Hamas], but such reports have not been substantiated." While the columnist may not have had any concrete proof, there are plenty of other reports that women are being sexually assaulted, and it is important to recognize the difficulties in proving this right now. Although sexual assault often takes place in violent conflicts and it is not a stretch to imagine that people who murder thousands of women, children, babies and elderly people might resort to this type of violence, responsible journalism dictates that these allegations should be presented as reports rather than fact until concrete proof is presented to avoid escalating tensions. That does not mean these claims are false, and some are taking care to distinguish between false claims and those that simply have not yet been verified. In many cases, witnesses who are reporting women being raped say they were executed afterward, which means that no one can ask the victims what happened. In addition, many sexual assault victims are not willing to talk about it or too traumatized to recall details. Moreover, with hospitals overwhelmed right now trying to treat injured people, it’s hard to imagine they are taking the time to perform rape kits on the bodies of the deceased. For now, we only know that multiple reports from people who witnessed attacks are claiming that sexual assaults took place.

Multiple eyewitness reports of sexual assaults have emerged, mainly at music festival massacre

One eyewitness told Tablet that “women have been raped” at the Supernova music festival in the Negev desert in Southern Israel, where at least 260 people were brutally slaughtered. Similar reports regarding sexual assault at the festival have made their way to the highest ranks, with a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offering a similar account and saying, “women were raped next to the bodies of fellow festivalgoers.” A survivor told the outlet: "Women have been raped at the area of the rave next to their friends' bodies, dead bodies.” They reported that some of the rape victims were later executed, and photos released online show some women being paraded through the streets with blood gushing from between their legs. One survivor of the desert party attack, Shani Hadar, told Ynet News: “I know they kidnapped girls. That they raped women even after killing them.” Describing footage of the attacks, she said that the terrorists called one kidnapped woman’s parents and told them: “Your daughter is alive. We’re going to rape her.” Another festival survivor, Raz Cohen, told PBS News Hour: “The terrorists, people from Gaza, raped girls. And after they raped them, they killed them, murdered them with knives, or the opposite, killed — and after they raped, they — they did that.” Some of those who went into hiding during the festival massacre reported hearing women being raped and begging for their lives from their hiding spots. Meanwhile, the Times of Israel reported having seen two videos that show evidence of sexual assaults against women, including one in which a woman is bleeding into her shorts. An Israeli woman told The Hindustan Times that a friend was raped on the streets of Gaza while onlookers cheered. The rapists then sent a video of the brutal crime to the woman’s family using her personal phone. Unverified videos circulating on social media claim to show Hamas fighters talking about sexually assaulting women. One man said: “The girls we have brought are sexy and blonde. We’ve murdered the ugly ones.” Another replied: “They will love me. They’ll fight with each other to be with me.” While it is important to reiterate that many of these stories are unverified, it is worth noting that many of the accounts seem to share similar details and they come from a range of sources, which lends credibility to them. Nevertheless, some experts warn that presenting accounts of rape as fact before they have been proven is irresponsible as it could provoke further violence. Sources for this article include: InformationLiberation.com TabletMag.com Forward.com PBS.org

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