The Forgotten Victims: Hamas’ Brutal Treatment of Women Hostages

All of the remaining female hostages who were held in Gaza have been released. It’s a long-overdue sigh of relief, but also one that should give us pause about what happened to all of the women held by Hamas over the course of the fifteen months.

As an American Jewish woman and mother, I have watched the plight of the female hostages held by the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza with horror. Unspeakable abuses have been perpetrated on these women and girls, not only during their capture during the Hamas invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, but in the subsequent long months of their captivity, and now — for the lucky ones who survive this nightmare — during their release. Time and again,we waited for advocates against trafficking and sexual violence to voice their outrage and for women around the world to stand up for these sisters in need, and too often, we have been disappointed. Why the double standard? Why wouldn’t all women, and certainly those who champion women’s rights in other contexts, stand up for these suffering innocents?

Hamas’s 1988 founding charter has a circumscribed role for women’s role in society, stating that Muslim women are important in that they “manufacture men and play a great role in guiding and educating the [new] generation.” Hamas has long enforced a harsh dress code for women in Gaza, and women in Gaza are prohibited from traveling without the permission of a male relative, such as her father or husband, which must be registered with a court.

When Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, we saw a new level of barbarity with their treatment of women that they consider “enemies” in the State of Israel. Of the over 1,200 innocents that Hamas murdered on that day, the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, many of the female victims were “twice murdered” — raped and suffering genital mutilation before their execution. Hideous videos have emerged of women being taken captive by Hamas operatives on Oct. 7, with the captors commenting: “Here are the girls who can get pregnant.”

We now know that the abuse that many of these innocent women endured over the long months of their captivity in Gaza included sexual violence. Amit Soussana, who was released several months ago, has testified about being forced to perform a sexual act on one of her captors at gunpoint. The United Nations has admitted that “There are reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence — including rape and gang-rape” occurred on Oct. 7. Teenage hostages who have been released were forced to perform sexual acts on each other and were sexually abused by their guards. Hamas guards also whipped the genitalia of minors. One released hostage, Karina Ariev, testified this week to being sexually harassed while in captivity. 

What has the response of the world’s appointed defenders of women’s rights been to these atrocities? All too often, it has been silence or even denial. 

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (U.N.-Women) released a statement on Oct. 13, 2023, equating Hamas’ brutalities with Israel’s self-defense. International movements like #MeToo and the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women have ignored the plight of Hamas’ female victims. In response, a group of Israeli women created a viral hashtag and global campaign in protest: #MeToo_Unless_Ur_A_Jew. 

Hamas committed to releasing the surviving female hostages as part of its Jan. 15 ceasefire with Israel. However, the release proceedings have been horrifying in their own right. Hostages have been forced to appear with masked men at military-style rallies in Gaza prior to handover, wearing special uniforms and certificates provided by Hamas and holding “gift bags” from their captors. These events have been so chaotic, with mobs swarming the cars holding the female victims, that the Israeli government feared for their lives and was forced to delay release of the terrorists who are being set free in exchange for the hostages’ safe return.

During what was supposed to be the release of her body after she and her two young children were murdered in captivity, Hamas held a parade and boisterous ceremony. It turned out Hamas had released the body of a random Gazan woman, and only due to intense pressure did it finally turn over the real body of Shiri Bibas. 

Frankly, this should not be a difficult position for any feminist, human rights advocate, or friend of women. More need to follow the brave example of Meta’s Sheryl Sandberg, whose documentary film “Screams Before Silence” reveals the inhumanity of Hamas attackers toward female victims during the Oct. 7 attacks. 

Female victims must not be dehumanized and othered by those who should be their champions merely because they are Jewish. It’s time for the women of the world and our friends and allies to step up and unequivocally advocate for the safety and protection of women everywhere, regardless of religion, race, or ethnicity. Why have international women’s rights and human rights organizations stood aside or applied a double standard while this vileness is ongoing?

Rochel Leah Bernstein is a child protection and mental health advocate, investor, founder, and international speaker. She is the co-founder and CEO of Spark Family Offices.