In a shocking revelation, at least 10 of the Israeli civilians released by Hamas were sexually assaulted or abused while in captivity, according to a report by the Associated Press. The victims, both men and women, were among the 110 hostages released from captivity.
A doctor, who wished to remain anonymous to safeguard the identities of the hostages, informed the AP news agency that a minimum of 10 men and women who were released had experienced sexual assault or abuse. The doctor did not disclose any additional information, according to the outlet.
These allegations were corroborated at a meeting held between the Israeli war cabinet and a group comprising recently freed hostages and family members of those still held in Gaza. During the meeting, some of the released captives shared firsthand testimonies of their experiences of sexual abuse during their captivity.
According to AP report, Aviva Siegel, who was freed from Hamas captivity last week and whose husband, a US citizen, is still a hostage, reportedly said during the meeting that some of the women hostages were “being touched”. Others at the meeting reported that both men and women were sexually assaulted.
Ronen Tzur, the director of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, described the meeting as unusual, stating that members of the cabinet heard for the first time from freed female hostages describing the difficult things that are going on in the tunnels, including sexual abuse.
Under a weeklong truce deal that expired on Friday, 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity in Gaza: 81 Israelis, 23 Thai nationals and one Filipino. It is believed that 138 hostages remain in Gaza, including some 20 women.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller suggested on Monday that Hamas is holding onto the hostages because it does not want them to testify about the sexual abuse they experienced in captivity.
State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller suggests “one of the reasons [Hamas doesn’t] want to turn women over that they’ve been holding hostage — and the reason this pause fell apart — is they don’t want those women to talk about what happened to them.” pic.twitter.com/GOlM3PHgVR
— The Recount (@therecount) December 4, 2023
In response to these disturbing reports, President Joe Biden forcefully denounced the reported rape and sexual violence against Israeli girls and women by Hamas militants, calling on the world to condemn such conduct “without equivocation” and “without exception”. He described the reports as ‘appalling’ and emphasized that the world cannot look away.
(With inputs from AP)
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