Senators press UN to investigate Hamas sexual violence

A bipartisan group of senators wrote a letter urging the United Nations to open an investigation into a “growing body of evidence” that during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Hamas engaged in sexual violence.

The 33 senators urged U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to launch a probe, gathering survivor and witness testimonies, NBC News first reported.

An investigation “is a necessary step to hold perpetrators accountable, support survivors, and provide justice for victims,” the letter, led by Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), reads.

The militant Palestinian group killed 1,200 Israelis during its surprise attack on Oct. 7 and took more than 240 hostages, sparking the war in the Gaza Strip. More than 17,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s counteroffensive, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The prevalence of sexual violence during Hamas’s initial attack has been well documented, and reports since the attack revealed the gruesome acts of rape used as a weapon of war.

The bipartisan letter said the Israeli police have gathered more than 1,500 testimonies and forensic evidence that shows rape and sexual assault occurred. One testimony included a witness describing a gang rape at the Nova music festival site where video footage showed mutilated bodies that exhibited signs of sexual violence before they were executed.

“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 about these atrocities,” the letter said.

President Biden publicly condemned the use of sexual violence in the war. He said it’s “on all of us,” including governments, international organizations, civil society and businesses, to condemn the acts.  

Tensions have risen within the Democratic Party around how best to condemn Hamas for the sexual violence. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, sparked backlash after she said the possible rapes were “horrific” but called for a “balanced” approach to recognizing pain caused by the ongoing war.

Jayapal’s statements came just days after more than 80 House lawmakers accused the women of the U.N. of disregarding the initial attacks.