Israelis who handled the bodies of the victims of the 7 October attacks by Hamas in Israel, have told British lawmakers that the female victims were deliberately and systematically harmed, and that some were sexually assaulted.
Kemi Badenoch, who is in charge of business and women’s issues, said that all the reports of sexual violence must be looked into and we must speak out against it. “Rape is not fighting back,” she said.
Hamas says its fighters did not sexually attack women during the attacks.
But a high-ranking police officer in Israel said they have strong proof that rape and other sexual violence were committed on a large scale, which is a serious crime.
On 7 October, many armed Palestinians from Gaza entered southern Israel. They killed about 1,300 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 others as hostages.
Israel fought in Gaza and many people, mostly women and children, were killed.
Many of the lawmakers in Parliament were crying when they heard the stories of the Israelis at the meeting on Wednesday.
Architect Shari Mendes was asked to help the military identify female bodies brought to the Shura army base after October 7th.
“She said that a lot of women came with torn and bloody underwear, and many of them had no clothes at all. ”
Our leader saw a lot of female soldiers who were shot in their private parts or breasts. This was unnecessary. This was an intentional, planned, cut to the genitals.
Ms Mendes said her team has seen bodies with their heads or limbs cut off. “I’m here to speak for them,” she said.
Simcha Greiniman was a volunteer for Zaka, an Israeli group that gathers bodies to bury them.
He told the BBC that he found many dead bodies after the Hamas attack.
“In a house, there was a woman who was not with her family. ” She was in her bedroom, resting on her bed, he remembered.
“She was only wearing clothes on the top half of her body. ” She was hit in the back of her head by a bullet. She was holding a dangerous bomb in her hand.
He talked about finding a woman with nails and other objects in her private parts. He said it was something very difficult to imagine.
Mr Greiniman said that he saw some people who had been sexually assaulted.
“He said definitely,definitely,without a doubt. ” “I’m the one who handled it. “”I am the eyes. “
“I want to tell you that this is how things happened, and I want the world to see it. ” We are speaking honestly, and the world needs to listen and take action.
He asked the world to acknowledge what happened and not ignore it. He also wanted the people responsible to be sent to jail. “He said they need to be punished for their actions. “
Ms Mendes and Mr Greiniman are not experts on sexual violence. But, their testimony matches the evidence that the Israeli government has collected from forensic investigations and statements from witnesses and first responders.
Chief Superintendent Mirit Ben,who leads the Israel Police,spoke to the lawmakers and said it was hard to gather evidence because the murders happened in many places and many people were killed.
She said that there is proof that the victims were raped and sexually assaulted. We are looking in to very bad crimes against people.
The BBC has found proof that women were raped and hurt. The video shows a person who saw what happened at the Nova music festival. There are also videos of women who are naked and bleeding, filmed by Hamas gunmen, and pictures of bodies from different attacks.
Agam Berger’s cousin said at the meeting that we need to bring back over 100 Israelis and other people who are still being kept as captives in Gaza.
Ashley Waxman Bakshi said she didn’t even know if her cousin wanted to stay alive after being held for a longtime.
“We are really worried while our women and girls are with these bad people. If they did something in 8 or 12 hours on October7,it’s very concerning. “”They stayed there for 117 days. ” What if they are having a baby.
Kemi Badenoch said the UK supports and stands together with all the victims. She also asked international groups to speak out clearly against sexual violence towards Israelis and to not have different rules for different people.
Israeli officials and activists are saying that the leaders of the UN and other international organizations are taking too long to respond to the allegations.
On Monday, Pramila Patten, who is a UN Special Representative,came to Israel to talk to people who have been through sexual violence in conflict. She wants to find ways to help them,like getting justice and holding people accountable. She also wants to gather and check information about what has happened to them.
The Israeli president’s office is asking victims, their families, and witnesses to speak up and not stay silent, so that those who hurt them can be punished.
“We want to make sure that the [victims] get justice so we can stop this terrible act,” she said.
Two United Nations human rights experts said earlier this month that the reported acts of sexual violence are very serious and against the law. They may be considered war crimes or crimes against humanity because of the large number of victims and the planned nature of the attacks.