The Israeli-Hamas conflict has resulted in an array of horrors, with some of the most dreadful being the heinous acts committed against women and young girls on October 7 in Israel. Despite these distressing events, there has been an unfortunate lack of acknowledgment, and at worst, denial of these atrocities from voices in the U.S. who have previously advocated for women in need. Israeli and Jewish women feel isolated and abandoned during this time.
For many decades, women have stood in support of other women. Yet, for some reason, this time around, the response has been different. There is a considerable amount of evidence indicating that Israeli women and girls were not only killed, but were also brutally subjected to sexual violence. Survivor accounts and videos made by the perpetrators are testament to these crimes.
Showcasing both strength and resilience, an Israeli nongovernmental commission has spearheaded a grassroots initiative to compile a comprehensive database of the sexual violence cases from October 7, providing trauma care to survivors and witnesses. Yet the response from women’s groups has been disappointingly muted, especially when compared to past instances when women rallied to support others in need.
Beyond the courtroom, the evidence of violence perpetrated against women and girls in Israel surpasses the threshold for the type of support that has been extended to others in similar situations. The lack of outrage, especially from international organizations, is disheartening. There have even been denials and sentiments that the victims somehow deserved their fates.
The victims of the October 7 attack have been excluded from the worldwide sisterhood, without the outpouring of support that should have been expected. We must ask ourselves if our outrage about rape and abuse depends on the identity of the perpetrator and the victim. It is important to express moral outrage and legal horror at the violence enacted against women, regardless of where they live or who the perpetrators are. This reaffirms our shared humanity and the belief that our bodies should not be weaponized during global conflicts.
