International Team Formed to Raise Awareness of Hamas Sexual Violence
Translated & summarized from Kan News by baba
A special team was formed to raise international awareness of Hamas's sexual violence, uncovering numerous incidents from October 7th and hostage captivity. The team focused on discreet diplomatic pressure for hostage release, utilizing intelligence not publicly shared by Israel.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- A national team was created to address Hamas's sexual violence and pressure international bodies.
- The team documented dozens of sexual violence incidents on October 7th and during hostage captivity.
- Efforts focused on discreet diplomatic pressure for hostage release, using classified intelligence.
- The former Shin Bet spokesperson expressed surprise at the systematic nature of the sexual violence.
- Once hostages were released, their personal testimonies became the focus.
A national team was established to address the sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas, with the goal of pressuring international bodies to acknowledge the issue. Michal Yaniv, former head of the National Security Council's Foreign Relations Division, revealed the team's existence in an interview on Monday. The team's work uncovered dozens of sites of sexual violence incidents on October 7th, as well as sexual assault against hostages during their captivity.
Yaniv stated that the team comprised individuals involved in negotiations, emphasizing their aim to influence decision-makers in private discussions. "Our drive, certainly of the team itself, was to influence, to tell the story in the back rooms with all the sensitivity to influence and exert pressure for the release of the hostages, by the way, and certainly this is something that was expressed," she said. The team's primary focus was on discreet diplomatic efforts among world leaders and decision-makers, presenting intelligence materials that Israel could not publicly disclose.
Yaniv, who previously served as the Shin Bet spokesperson for many years and is familiar with Hamas's operations, expressed surprise at the systematic use of sexual violence. "After every day that passed, we understood that the event was something else, something different happened here that had not happened before. I was the Shin Bet spokesperson for almost 17 years, and throughout the Second Intifada I knew all the Palestinian terror attacks against Israeli citizens. We never saw systematic use of sexual violence. There were very sporadic incidents, but certainly not in the way it was done," she explained.
Yaniv stressed that once hostages were released, their stories became their own. The team's objective was to facilitate their release, and after their return, the focus shifted to the hostages themselves sharing their experiences. The team's efforts were aimed at helping and bringing about their release.