U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) led their colleagues in condemning the inaction of the United Nations (UN) regarding Hamas’s widespread sexual violence against Israeli women and called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to open an independent investigation into these acts.
In the letter, the lawmakers demanded the UN hold its primary entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women, UN Women, accountable for its failure to immediately and unequivocally condemn Hamas’s atrocities against women.
“We write to express our profound disappointment with the United Nations’ (UN) response to Hamas’s widespread sexual violence, including rape and mutilation, as a weapon of war against women in Israel on October 7, 2023,” wrote the lawmakers.“A growing body of evidence including the testimonies of survivors, witnesses, and first responders makes clear that as part of Hamas’s terrorist attack that killed 1,200 men, women, and children on October 7, the terrorist organization intentionally used rape and sexual assault as weapons of war.”
“Sexual violence, particularly on this scale and of this level of brutality, must be condemned unequivocally and without qualification, which is why we were shocked that it took UN Women nearly two months to speak out against these atrocities,” the senators continued. “We urge you to move swiftly to seek the establishment of an independent fact-finding effort through a separate mechanism, tasked with collecting testimonies from survivors and witnesses of Hamas’s sexual violence. An independent investigation is a necessary step to hold perpetrators accountable, support survivors, and provide justice for victims.”
Read the full letter here.
