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National Post

Groundbreaking report offers legal framework for prosecuting Hamas sexual violence

A groundbreaking legal report presented Tuesday to the wife of Israel's President provides the first comprehensive framework for prosecuting Hamas terrorists for the systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war during the October 7 attack. Article content 'The report presents the truth as it is – shocking, painful, but vital and necessary,' said First Lady Michal Herzog upon receiving the document in Jerusalem. 'On behalf of all those who were harmed, we are committed to continuing to fight until their cry is heard everywhere and until justice is done.' Article content The 84-page report — written by Professor Ruth Halperin-Kadri, retired District Judge Nava Ben-Or, and Col. (res.) Attorney Sharon Zaggi-Pinhas, former Chief Military Prosecutor of the Israel Defense Forces — represents the most extensive legal and factual documentation to date of sexual crimes committed during the assault on Gaza border communities. Produced as part of 'The Dinah Project,' the report analyzes dozens of sources to establish clear patterns of systematic sexual abuse. Article content Article content The findings reveal consistent patterns of sexual violence committed by Hamas terrorists both at murder scenes and in captivity. The report documents gang rape, public humiliation, forced nudity, genital abuse, and direct shooting of intimate body parts. It also includes accounts from abductees describing repeated sexual assaults, threats of 'forced marriage,' and attempts to erase sexual identity, including attacks on men. Article content According to the report, investigators found recurring descriptions of half-naked female bodies, sometimes tied to buildings and trees, alongside reports from personnel identifying casualties from military bases. The authors conclude unequivocally that Hamas used sexual violence as part of an overall plan of terror, collective humiliation, and dehumanization of Israeli society. Article content Article content Several Palestinian terrorists captured by Israel have admitted to interrogators they raped and sexually abused women. Article content Article content The presentation included testimony from Ilana Gritzewsky, a survivor of 55 days in Hamas captivity who spoke about her experience of sexual abuse. 'On October 7, I was in my house, in Kibbutz Nir Oz, with my partner, Matan [Zangauker]. And suddenly – noise. Explosions. Screams. Then a door was broken open. We were kidnapped,' Gritzewsky recounted. Article content Describing her ordeal, she continued: 'When I woke up, I was half-naked. Surrounded by terrorists. They beat me, touched me. I didn't know what happened to my body in those lost minutes. But my soul already knew: nothing would be the same.' Article content Addressing her ongoing trauma, she said, 'I was released after 55 days. But I'm not really free. Because true freedom only exists when no one has to go through what I went through.' Article content The report's authors stressed that sexual violence in conflict is systematic rather than random.