Israeli Actress Gal Gadot Calls Out Silence Over Sexual-based Violence by Hamas
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Israeli Actress Gal Gadot Calls Out Silence Over Sexual-based Violence by Hamas
'The world has failed the women of October 7, this is an emergency that demands a decisive response,' wrote the Wonder Woman star, joining other Israeli and Jewish women who have highlighted the international community's hesitance to condemn Hamas atrocities
Israeli actress Gal Gadot has called out the international community for questioning the reports of sexual violence against women during the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel that killed at least 1,200 people, and the unusual silence of women's organizations and UN bodies on the subject.
“The world has failed the women of October 7th ,” the Wonder Woman star wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday, “We claim we stand against rape, violence against women. We will not let women be victimized and then silenced. We say we believe women, stand with women, speak out for women.”
In her post, Gadot – who has 109 million followers on Instagram – addressed the harrowing images of Israeli-German citizen Shani Louk, who was kidnapped into Gaza by Hamas militants on October 7, and later confirmed dead. “Within hours of the attack, the first blood-chilling video emerged of Shani Louk being paraded naked and defiled by her proud assailants,” wrote Gadot, “Yet two months later women are still hostage to these rapists and the world has failed to call this situation what it is: an urgent emergency that demands a decisive response.”
UN Women issued a statement over the weekend condemning Hamas’ use of sexual violence during the October 7 attack, nearly two months after earning widespread condemnation for failing to appropriately decry the gender-based atrocities.
Many Israelis have spoken out against the UN' s silence surrounding the clear evidence of sexual violence, including Prof. Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, who served for 12 years on the UN Committee on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Halperin-Kaddari has said she now feels “completely betrayed” by the international women’s rights organizations with whom she has worked for years.
On Monday, Israeli and American-Jewish women leaders will hold a special session with the Israeli mission at the United Nations headquarters in New York, where they will present testimonials of sexual-based violence on October 7. They will also stage a protest in front of the UN building demanding the immediate return of women and children hostages, as well as condemning those who failed to forcefully decry the use of sexual violence against Israeli women.
“Women and allies of women [need] to act,” Gadot concluded in her post, “These women cannot survive another moment of this horror.”
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She's 1000% right. The women and girl hostages all need to be released and the guilty parties tried for war crimes.
Good luck changing the attitude of those who with their demonstrations, their protests and their anti-Semitic acts continue to GLORIFY their rapist heroes.