Latest news with #BarIlanUniversity
Free Malaysia Today
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Israeli report accuses Hamas of sexual violence, urges legal action
Several hostages freed from Hamas captivity reported witnessing and experiencing assault including acts of forced penetration by their captors. (AP pic) JERUSALEM : Israeli researchers released a report on Tuesday detailing sexual assault allegations against Palestinian Hamas fighters who attacked Israeli communities on Oct 7, 2023, and offering a 'legal blueprint' for potential prosecutions. The Bar-Ilan University report cites at least 17 witnesses testifying to at least 15 separate cases of sexual assault, including gang rape and mutilation of sexual organs. It cites numerous instances of bodies found partially or fully naked, some handcuffed to poles or trees, and bodies with gunshots to the genitalia and other genital mutilation. Accounts of sexual assault committed by Hamas militants on Oct 7 have been documented widely. Several hostages released from Hamas captivity said they witnessed and experienced acts of assault, including forced penetration, by their captors. Hamas has consistently denied allegations of sexual assault. Hamas official Bassem Naim said the report was 'not worth commenting' on. Reuters could not independently verify the evidence referenced in the report. The document, authored by three experts in law and gender, lays out a legal framework for prosecution of those responsible, even when 'direct attribution to individuals is impossible.' The report draws from forensic and visual evidence, witness testimony and audio recordings. In March, UN experts said in a report that Israel had used sexual violence as a war strategy in Gaza, allegations Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected as biased and antisemitic. The authors of the Bar-Ilan University document presented the report to Israel's first lady Michal Herzog on Tuesday. They said they aimed to prompt domestic and international legal action by identifying legal doctrines that can be used to 'unlock actual court cases' by showing how they fit into international mechanisms. 'Our aim is to be able to convince the (United Nations) secretary-general to include Hamas in the blacklist of those entities of those countries … that condone the use of sexual violence as a tool of war,' Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, founding member of the university's Dinah Project, told Reuters. There was no immediate comment from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the Bar-Ilan University report. A UN Commission of Inquiry into sexual assault on Oct 7 found that Israeli women were subjected 'to gender-based violence such as physical, sexual and psychological violence, including threats of such acts, coercion and arbitrary deprivation of liberty.' The UN said Israeli officials refused to cooperate with its investigation and 'that the information gathered by the mission team was in a large part sourced from Israeli national institutions.' Israel's diplomatic mission in Geneva said in April last year that victims of the Oct 7 attacks would never get justice from the UN commission and its members, adding that the commission had a track record of antisemitic, anti-Israel statements.
Irish Times
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Israeli report accuses Hamas of sexual violence, urges legal action
Israeli researchers released a report on Tuesday detailing sexual assault allegations against Palestinian Hamas fighters who attacked Israeli communities on October 7th, 2023, and offering a 'legal blueprint' for potential prosecutions. The Bar-Ilan University report cites at least 17 witnesses testifying to at least 15 separate cases of sexual assault, including gang rape and mutilation of sexual organs. It cites numerous instances of bodies found partially or fully naked, some handcuffed to poles or trees, and bodies with gunshots to the genitalia and other genital mutilation. Accounts of sexual assault committed by Hamas militants on October 7th have been documented widely. Several hostages released from Hamas captivity said they witnessed and experienced acts of assault, including forced penetration, by their captors. Hamas has consistently denied allegations of sexual assault. Hamas official Bassem Naim said the report was 'not worth commenting' on. Reuters could not independently verify the evidence referenced in the report. The document, authored by three experts in law and gender, lays out a legal framework for prosecution of those responsible, even when 'direct attribution to individuals is impossible'. The report draws from forensic and visual evidence, witness testimony and audio recordings. In March, United Nations experts said in a report that Israel had used sexual violence as a war strategy in Gaza , allegations Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu rejected as biased and anti-Semitic. The authors of the Bar-Ilan University document presented the report to Israel's first lady Michal Herzog on Tuesday. They said they aimed to prompt domestic and international legal action by identifying legal doctrines that can be used to 'unlock actual court cases' by showing how they fit into international mechanisms. 'Our aim is to be able to convince the [United Nations] secretary-general to include Hamas in the blacklist of those entities of those countries ... that condone the use of sexual violence as a tool of war,' Prof Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, founding member of the university's Dinah Project, said. There was no immediate comment from the office of Mr Netanyahu on the Bar-Ilan University report. A UN commission of inquiry into sexual assault on October 7th found that Israeli women were subjected 'to gender-based violence such as physical, sexual and psychological violence, including threats of such acts, coercion and arbitrary deprivation of liberty'. The UN said Israeli officials refused to co-operate with its investigation and 'that the information gathered by the mission team was in a large part sourced from Israeli national institutions'. Israel's diplomatic mission in Geneva said in April last year that victims of the October 7th attacks would never get justice from the UN commission and its members, adding that the commission had a track record of anti-Semitic, anti-Israel statements. The Gaza war erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive. Israel's retaliatory war in Gaza has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's health ministry. Most of Gaza's population has been displaced by the war and nearly half a million people are facing famine within months, according to UN estimates. Progress towards a ceasefire in Gaza at peace talks ongoing in Qatar has been slow, officials from that country said on Tuesday. The new round of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas began on Sunday, after both sides accepted a broad US-sponsored outline of a deal for an initial 60-day ceasefire that could lead to a permanent end to the 21-month conflict. 'I don't think that I can give any timeline at the moment, but I can say right now that we will need time for this,' Majed al-Ansari, Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson, said on Tuesday, the third day of negotiations in Doha. – Reuters/Guardian
Reuters
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Israeli report accuses Hamas of sexual violence, urges legal action
JERUSALEM, July 8 (Reuters) - Israeli researchers released a report on Tuesday detailing sexual assault allegations against Palestinian Hamas fighters who attacked Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, and offering a "legal blueprint" for potential prosecutions. The Bar-Ilan University report cites at least 17 witnesses testifying to at least 15 separate cases of sexual assault, including gang rape and mutilation of sexual organs. It cites numerous instances of bodies found partially or fully naked, some handcuffed to poles or trees, and bodies with gunshots to the genitalia and other genital mutilation. Accounts of sexual assault committed by Hamas militants on October 7 have been documented widely. Several hostages released from Hamas captivity said they witnessed and experienced acts of assault, including forced penetration, by their captors. Hamas has consistently denied allegations of sexual assault. Hamas official Bassem Naim said the report was "not worth commenting" on. Reuters could not independently verify the evidence referenced in the report. The document, authored by three experts in law and gender, lays out a legal framework for prosecution of those responsible, even when "direct attribution to individuals is impossible." The report draws from forensic and visual evidence, witness testimony and audio recordings. In March, UN experts said in a report that Israel had used sexual violence as a war strategy in Gaza, allegations Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected as biased and antisemitic. The authors of the Bar-Ilan University document presented the report to Israel's first lady Michal Herzog on Tuesday. They said they aimed to prompt domestic and international legal action by identifying legal doctrines that can be used to "unlock actual court cases" by showing how they fit into international mechanisms. "Our aim is to be able to convince the (United Nations) secretary-general to include Hamas in the blacklist of those entities of those countries ... that condone the use of sexual violence as a tool of war," Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, founding member of the university's Dinah Project, told Reuters. There was no immediate comment from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the Bar-Ilan University report. A U.N. Commission of Inquiry into sexual assault on October 7 found that Israeli women were subjected "to gender-based violence such as physical, sexual and psychological violence, including threats of such acts, coercion and arbitrary deprivation of liberty." The U.N. said Israeli officials refused to cooperate with its investigation and "that the information gathered by the mission team was in a large part sourced from Israeli national institutions." Israel's diplomatic mission in Geneva said in April last year that victims of the October 7 attacks would never get justice from the UN commission and its members, adding that the commission had a track record of antisemitic, anti-Israel statements.
Bloomberg
07-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
S. Daniel Abraham, Billionaire Founder of Slim-Fast, Dies at 100
S. Daniel Abraham, the New Yorker who became a billionaire by tempting dieters with Slim-Fast meal-replacement shakes and selling his company in 2000 to Unilever NV, has died. He was 100. He died on June 29, according to American Friends of Bar-Ilan University, on whose board he had served.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hamas systematically, extensively weaponized sexual violence on October 7, report reveals
The full report, set to be released later this week by the "Dinah Project," presents further evidence that Hamas used sexual violence as a weapon against Israelis during the October 7 massacre. Disclaimer: This article discusses sensitive topics including terrorism, violence, sexual violence, and trauma. A new report, the most comprehensive one compiled to date on sexual violence by Hamas on October 7, is set to be published this week by the "Dinah Project," a research and legal initiative led by Professor Ruth-Halperin Kadari of Bar-Ilan University. It presents extensive evidence that Hamas systematically and extensively used sexual violence as a weapon during the murderous terrorist attack on October 7. The report relies on new testimonies from hostages who returned from Gaza, victims of sexual violence, eyewitnesses, mental health professionals, and rescue workers. According to an investigative report published on Sunday in The Sunday Times, the findings are deeply disturbing. Among them are the bodies of young women, naked or half-dressed, found tied to trees or poles. Some of these women had been shot in their intimate organs, and in some cases, they had undergone gang rape before being murdered. Eyewitnesses, including survivors who hid in bushes, described cases of attempted rape even after death. The report identifies six main sites where serious sexual offenses occurred: the Nova Festival, Highway 232, the Nahal Oz base, and three kibbutzim—Kfar Aza, Re'im, and Nir Oz. The researchers noted a clear pattern across these sites, indicating systematic and premeditated actions. Some of the testimonies come from 15 hostages released from Hamas captivity in Gaza, including those who experienced sexual assault while in captivity. Only one of them, Amit Soussana, has spoken publicly so far. Other survivors described forced exposure, sexual assaults, harassment, and threats of forced marriage. "Sexual violence doesn't have to be rape—forced nudity, bathing in front of captors, or explicit threats are also part of the picture," said Attorney Sharon Zaggi-Pinhas, former chief military prosecutor, who co-authored the report alongside Halperin-Kadari and retired Judge Neve Ben-Or. The report was written in response to deep disappointment with the international community's reaction, particularly from organizations like UN Women, which refrained from condemning the findings already published months earlier in media investigations worldwide. The researchers note that the international standard of "believing the victims" was not applied in this case. "Women all over the world chose to remain silent, and this is a profound moral failure," said Halperin-Kadari. The report seeks to establish a new legal framework for handling mass atrocity cases where most victims are no longer alive, and a specific perpetrator cannot be identified. "The need to prove who harmed whom is irrelevant here," emphasized retired Judge Ben-Or. "The fact that sexual violence occurred as an integral part of the massacre requires the world to see this as the collective responsibility of Hamas." The initiative, partially funded by the UK government, is named after Dinah, the biblical figure—Jacob's only daughter, whose story of rape appears in the Book of Genesis but whose voice was never heard. Like Dinah, the victims of October 7 mostly remain voiceless—either because they were murdered or because they still struggle to speak about their traumatic experiences. The goal of this initiative, its creators say, is "to give a voice to those who cannot." Among the disturbing findings are testimonies of dozens of gang rapes, women found naked and tied to trees, a hostage who was subjected to full-body shaving, and victims who took months to come forward with their testimonies due to the deep trauma they suffered. The report calls on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to send an independent investigative mission and to include Hamas on the list of groups using sexual violence as a weapon, alongside organizations like ISIS and Boko Haram. "What happened here was not accidental," concluded Zaggi-Pinhas. "It was a planned tactic—and the world cannot afford to turn a blind eye."
