Women protest outside UN Women HQ in New York over silence on Hamas atrocities
(Video: Roi Boshi)
Eight weeks after the October 7 attack, during which many Israeli women were subjected to sexualized violence by the Hamas terrorists, the United Nations (UN) Women, the organization's body for gender equality and women’s empowerment, expressed its condemnation of Hamas's actions on Saturday.
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"We unequivocally condemn the brutal attacks by Hamas on Israel on 7 October," read the statement. "We are alarmed by the numerous accounts of gender-based atrocities and sexual violence during those attacks."
"This is why we have called for all accounts of gender-based violence to be duly investigated and prosecuted, with the rights of the victim at the core."
Earlier in November, the UN Women made a similar post on its official Instagram account. The post was soon removed and replaced with a statement calling for hostages release. The new message did not condemn Hamas.
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Women protest outside UN Women HQ in New York over silence on Hamas atrocities
(Photo: Roi Boshi)
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Protest in Canada over silence of women's organizations on sexualized violence against Israeli women on October 7
UN Women told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the post had been scheduled in advance and "no longer reflected where the organization wanted to put its main focus."
When asked about the motivation behind the agency's silence on the issue, its deputy director Sarah Hendriks told CNN that the UN Women was "deeply alarmed at the disturbing reports of gender-based and sexual violence on October 7."
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Women protest outside UN Women HQ in New York over silence on Hamas atrocities
(Photo: Omer Kaplan)
She also mentioned that the group supports “impartial, independent investigation." The note came after the interviewer drew attention to the "mounting evidence" produced by Israeli investigations.
UN Women has been accused of holding double standard regarding Israel. Over the past two months, hashtag #MeToo_UNless_UR_A_Jew has gained popularity online, while Jewish women's rights activists have called on the UN agency to speak out against the crimes against women carried out on October 7.