Millet Ben Haim, a survivor of the brutal Hamas attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, spoke to Washington University students about her traumatic experience fleeing terrorists and fighting for her life. Although sexual violence was not a central part of Millet’s talk, as she did not experience it herself, she said something that resonated deeply with me: “The fact that the world is silent about the sexual violence, it’s crushing to the soul.” I left her talk feeling inspired by Millet’s bravery and vulnerability, and grappling with feelings of confusion and anger toward the world’s response.  

Sexual violence advocacy is of the utmost importance in society today — yet, the brutality toward Israeli women and children on Oct. 7 seems to be ignored. I hoped there would be a shift in people’s willingness to acknowledge and recognize the sexual violence after a graphic article in the New York Times was released, depicting the horrors from that day. Truthfully, describing the article as graphic is an understatement; this brutality and mutilation of Israeli women should have evoked an immediate condemnation from all women’s organizations globally.

The #MeToo movement, founded in 2006, reinforced the need to support and recognize all forms of sexual assault against women, yet so many people choose to ignore the horrific sexual assault against Israeli girls and women. Though this article was difficult to read, it shared a necessary truth about Hamas’s widespread sexual violence. 

UN Women, whose mission is for “All women and girls [to] live a life free of all forms of violence,” did not officially condemn Hamas’ pervaise sexual violence until Dec. 1, 55 days after the initial attack — almost eight weeks of silence. The organization’s initial hesitation to directly condemn Hamas is not subtle, and it poses the question: why is sexual violence not a gross injustice when it is against Israelis? Since this sexual violence happened in Israel mostly toward Jews, the cries have been ignored, and the hypocrisy runs rampant. 

23-year-old German-Israeli Shani Louk was murdered by Hamas on Oct. 7. Her body was only identified by a bone fragment of her skull, as that was the only remnant of her body left. It was reported by CNN that “she was tortured and paraded around Gaza by Hamas terrorists.” Unfortunately, Shani’s story is one of many that is still being ignored by most of society. 

In a digital age where the opportunity to speak up about injustice is available at the touch of our fingers, influencers are quick to post flashy articles and headlines to maintain relatability. Influencers’ promises to #believewomen and #standwithwomen fall flat when it comes to showing up for Israeli women. A handful of celebrities and influencers post about Israel and the sexual violence; however, it’s far and few between. Israeli actress Gal Gadot reproached the international community when speaking about this topic: “The world has failed the women of October 7, this is an emergency that demands a decisive response.” Gadot has a distinct tie to this issue, yet those who lack one have primarily remained silent about the sexual violence that transpired on Oct. 7. Having to constantly refresh social media to see if anyone has spoken about these injustices is frustrating. 

Regardless of one’s political stance, sexual violence cannot be tolerated. This is not an issue of sides or views on the Middle East conflict. Such actions of violence against Jewish women, specifically sexual ones, have not been seen since the Holocaust.

Recognizing the horrors perpetuated by Hamas does not mean ignoring the unimaginable suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Similarly, one can oppose Israel’s response to the attack without turning a blind eye to the violence Hamas carried out.

For 150 days, Jews and Israelis worldwide have been trying to answer one basic question: why does the massacre and rape of our people not warrant the same response as any other act of terrorism and sexual violence? As we get ready for International Women’s Day this week, I urge WashU students and the larger community to actively engage with the stories of these victims and demand the accountability that is needed.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated on 3/5/24 to fix a minor grammatical error.