Palestinian propagandists distorted the words of an Israeli prosecutor, who was until recently a member of the team prosecuting Hamas sexual crimes on October 7, to claim there had been no rapes during the massacre.
Moran Gez said in an interview with Ynet's sister publication Yedioth Ahronoth that it was hard to prosecute the rapes and sexual assault committed by the terrorists because many of the victims of the atrocities did not survive and therefore could not come forward.
"Unfortunately, we have no victims. They were either murdered or some of those who were raped chose not to come forward to share what had happened," she said. She said women's groups also had few recorded testimonies although they were approached by parents asking what they can do when their daughter was a victim of those crimes.
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Palestinian propaganda claims Israeli prosecutor says Hamas terrorists did not commit rape on Oct. 7
(Photo: Social media)
Although there is evidence of rapes and sexual assaults, the difficulty in trial is attributing the atrocity to a particular perpetrator. "I would lower expectations," Gez said. "I know there is a desire in the public and I understand the need when dealing with such heinous crimes, but most of the cases may not meet the standards of the courts for convictions.
Soon after the interview was published, posts appeared on social media claiming the accusations of rape were a "mistake," or a "joke." A journalist who has hundreds of thousands of followers led a campaign of denial of the rape accusations, using the interview and the fact that no charges were filed, as "evidence" that no such crimes were committed.
Gez said she was astounded at the post. "Hamas terrorists raped young Israelis and murdered them, even while the rape was still going on," she said. "Amid such trauma, women who were raped by the terrorists and residents of Gaza who followed them across the border, could not muster the courage to report the ordeal. Any other interpretation of my words is nothing more that cheap propaganda that ignores the fact that Hamas terrorists committed war crimes. The only appropriate punishment for them, in my view, is death."
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Released hostages report sexual crimes committed against them in Hamas captivity
(Photo: Shalev Shalom)
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The former prosecutor said that pro-Palestinian groups have distorted her comments and have taken them out of context. "Hamas operatives and others who took part in the October 7 massacre committed war crimes that include all kinds of sexual offenses, most of which resulted in the murder of their victims."