Hamas systematically committed sexual violence against women during attacks.
The evidence, documented in photos and videos, immediately seemed to point to sexual abuse and rape. Israeli soldiers, doctors, paramedics and forensic experts found bloody underwear on corpses and disfigured, twisted bodies, complete with bruises and semen, at the sites of the Hamas massacre on October 7. The traces of abuse were evident.
But on the day of the attack on kibbutzim and the Supernova festival outside the Gaza Strip, Israel initially had more urgent things to do: restore security and order and arrest or – in most cases – kill the Hamas terrorists. And then it was necessary to quickly identify the victims according to Jewish rites and bury them with as many body parts as possible – which, in the case of charred corpses, often took weeks.