Edited by: Fern Sidman
In the aftermath of the harrowing events that transpired on October 7 in southern Israel, a chilling incident has emerged, shedding light on the atrocities faced by women in the wake of Hamas attacks. As was reported by the New York Times in a special investigative article that appeared on Sunday, the story revolves around the tragic fate of Gal Abdush, a mother of two from a working-class town in central Israel, who disappeared from a rave with her husband, only to become a symbol of the unimaginable horrors experienced by Israeli women and girls during that fateful night, the NYT reported added.
Initially known as “the woman in the black dress,” the shocking incident was captured in a grainy video that quickly went viral. The footage shows her lying on her back, her dress torn, legs spread, and her face burned beyond recognition. As was indicated in the NYT report, her right hand covers her eyes, creating a haunting image that stirred the emotions of thousands who desperately sought to identify the victim as their missing friend, sister, or daughter.
As the terrorists closed in on her, Gal Abdush found herself trapped on a highway along with others trying to flee the party. In her final moments, she sent a heart-wrenching WhatsApp message to her family: “You don’t understand,” according to the NYT report. This message, laden with desperation, marked the beginning of a painful journey for her family and, subsequently, for the nation.
Israeli police officials, relying largely on the verified video evidence, have stated that they believe Gal Abdush was raped. The upshot of the NYT report said that her case is not an isolated incident, as officials assert that wherever Hamas terrorists struck—be it the rave, military bases along the Gaza border, or kibbutzim—they perpetrated brutal acts of violence against women.
A two-month investigation by The New York Times uncovered distressing details, revealing that the attacks against women were part of a broader pattern of gender-based violence on October 7th. The investigation utilized video footage, photographs, GPS data from mobile phones, and interviews with over 150 individuals, including witnesses, medical personnel, soldiers, and rape counselors, according to the information provided in the NYT report.
The Times identified at least seven locations where Israeli women and girls appeared to have been sexually assaulted or mutilated. Four witnesses provided graphic details of women being raped and killed at two different places along Route 232—the same highway where Gal Abdush’s body was found. As was noted in the NYT report, the gruesome scenes mirrored her fate, with victims discovered in similar states—legs spread, clothes torn off, and signs of abuse in their genital areas.
Several soldiers and volunteer medics were interviewed, collectively describing the discovery of more than 30 bodies of women and girls in and around the rave site and two kibbutzim. As per the NYT report, the victims shared a common fate with Gal Abdush, further underscoring the horrifying extent of the gender-based violence inflicted upon Israeli women during the October 7 attacks.
Photographs viewed by The Times reveal a horrifying scene—an emergency responder discovering the corpse of a woman in a besieged kibbutz. Dozens of nails were driven into her thighs and groin, underscoring the brutality of the sexual violence perpetrated during the attacks. Additionally, the NYT report said that a video provided by the Israeli military depicted two dead Israeli soldiers at a base near Gaza who appeared to have been shot directly in their vaginas, adding another layer of horror to the unfolding narrative of this terrifying massacre.
Despite the mounting evidence, Hamas has vehemently denied Israel’s accusations of sexual violence. According to the NYT report, this denial has further fueled outrage among Israeli activists, who criticize the delayed acknowledgment of the accusations by the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, and the agency U.N. Women, weeks after the attacks took place.
Investigators from Israel’s top national police unit, Lahav 433, have been diligently collecting evidence, yet they face significant challenges. As was reported in details by the NYT, the chaotic nature of the deadliest day in Israeli history, coupled with enormous grief and religious duties, meant that bodies were hastily buried, leaving little opportunity for forensic examinations. The authorities have admitted that during the initial shock and confusion on October 7, their focus was on repelling Hamas and identifying the deceased, rather than collecting crucial forensic evidence, the report added.
The lack of semen samples, autopsies, and detailed crime scene examinations during the immediate aftermath has left the Israeli authorities struggling to provide families with comprehensive answers about the final moments of their loved ones, according to the information provided in the NYT report. Gal Abdush’s relatives, for instance, have not received a death certificate, intensifying the anguish of not knowing the full extent of her tragic fate.
In cases of widespread sexual violence during conflict, limited forensic evidence is not uncommon, according to experts. Speaking to the NYT was Adil Haque, a Rutgers law professor and war crimes expert. Haque highlighted the chaotic nature of armed conflicts, where safety takes precedence over building criminal cases. As was reported by the NYT, he noted that prosecutions for sex crimes often rely on testimony from victims and witnesses, even years after the events, emphasizing the challenges in obtaining conclusive forensic evidence in such contexts.
In many instances, eyewitnesses may not even know the names of the victims but can provide crucial accounts of the atrocities committed, forming the basis for legal action against the perpetrators, the NYT report said.
One key witness in the ongoing investigation is a 24-year-old accountant known by the pseudonym Sapir. Fearful of being hounded for the rest of her life, she chose not to reveal her full identity to the NYT. Sapir attended the rave with friends and has become a pivotal witness for the Israeli police.
In a gripping two-hour interview with The New York Times, she provided graphic testimony of witnessing groups of heavily armed gunmen raping and killing at least five women.
Sapir recounted her experience on the morning of October 7, describing how she hid under the low branches of a bushy tamarisk tree, injured from a gunshot wound to her back, about four miles southwest of the party along Route 232, as was indicated in the NYT report. Approximately 100 men, most in military fatigues and combat boots, congregated along the road, passing weapons and badly wounded women between them.
Sapir vividly described the horrifying scene, detailing the brutal assaults on women. One victim, with copper-colored hair, was subjected to a sadistic attack where a man pulled her by the hair, made her bend over, and repeatedly stabbed her, as was noted in the NYT report. Another woman suffered a gruesome fate as terrorists raped her, while another assailant used a box cutter to slice off her breast.
In a macabre display, the severed breast was thrown around by the perpetrators, playing with it as it fell onto the road.
Simultaneously, she witnessed three other women being raped, according to the NYT report. She also witnessed Hamas terrorists as they callously carried the severed heads of three more women.
Yura Karol, a 22-year-old security consultant who was hiding in the same spot as Sapir, corroborated her account. The report in the NYT said that he mentioned barely lifting his head to look at the road but confirmed witnessing the rape and murder of a woman during the onslaught.
Sapir’s bravery in coming forward with her testimony has not come without consequences. She has struggled with a painful rash across her torso since that fateful day, and her nights are haunted by vivid nightmares, according to information supplied in the NYT report. Describing herself as emotionally detached and sharp on that day, she emphasized the adrenaline-fueled survival mode she entered, photographing the horrifying details with her eyes, determined to remember everything.
Raz Cohen, a survivor who hid in a dried-up streambed, recounted a horrifying scene where a white van pulled up about 40 yards away. The NYT report said that five men, wearing civilian clothes and armed with knives and a hammer, dragged a young, naked woman across the ground. Cohen described the brutal assault as the men raped and slaughtered her, painfully recalling the victim’s screams without words.
Shoam Gueta, who was with Cohen in the streambed, corroborated the account, stating that at least four men from the van attacked the woman, engaging in violent acts and ultimately slaughtering her, the NYT reported. The attackers were described as “talking, giggling, and shouting” during the horrific assault.
The first wave of volunteer emergency medical technicians to arrive at the rave site encountered a nightmarish scene. As was noted in the NYT report, bodies of dead women were discovered with their legs spread, some with missing underwear, and others with their hands tied with ropes and zip ties.
Jamal Waraki, a volunteer medic with the ZAKA emergency response team, recalled finding a young woman in a rawhide vest between the main stage and the bar, her hands tied behind her back, half-naked, and her underwear rolled down below her knees, the NYT report said.
Similar horrors unfolded in two kibbutzim, Be’eri and Kfar Aza. According to the NYT report, volunteer medics and Israeli soldiers revealed that they came across at least 24 bodies of women and girls, naked or half-naked, some mutilated and others tied up, in various houses. The report in the NYT also said that one paramedic in an Israeli commando unit spoke of finding the bodies of two teenage sisters in Be’eri, describing the gruesome scene with ripped boxer shorts, bruises, and semen smeared on their backs.
The paramedic, serving in an elite unit, explained that his primary focus was to look for survivors, and he did not document the scene due to the urgency of his role, the NYT report said. The haunting discoveries underscore the challenges faced by emergency responders in the chaotic aftermath of the attacks.
Shari Mendes, an architect serving as a reserve soldier tasked with preparing the bodies of female soldiers for burial, recounted witnessing signs of sexual violence. She reported seeing four bodies with indications of such violence, noting “a lot of blood in their pelvic areas,” the NYT report indicated. Captain Maayan, a dentist working at the same identification center, revealed that she had encountered at least 10 bodies of female soldiers from Gaza observation posts showing signs of sexual violence.
Captain Maayan, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject, described the horrifying scenes, including cuts in vaginas, blood-soaked underwear, and even a victim whose fingernails had been pulled out, as was reported by the NYT. These testimonies underscore the brutality faced by female soldiers during the attacks.
While Israeli authorities have a substantial amount of video evidence documenting the October 7 attacks, Deputy Superintendent Moshe Fintzy of Israel’s national police revealed a significant gap in autopsies, according to the NYT report. He emphasized, “We have zero autopsies,” highlighting the lack of medical examinations on the bodies.
In the aftermath, forensic examiners were dispatched to the Shura military base to aid in identifying the hundreds of bodies. However, the urgency to provide closure to grieving families and adhere to Jewish funeral traditions led to many bodies, potentially containing crucial evidence, being laid to rest without thorough medical examinations, the NYT report said.
While international forensic experts suggest the possibility of recovering some evidence from the corpses, the process is expected to be challenging.
Israeli security forces, led by Deputy Superintendent Moshe Fintzy, continue to discover disturbing evidence indicating the brutalization of women during the Hamas attacks. According to information provided in the NYT report, Fintzy showcased a video on his phone, reportedly recorded by Hamas gunmen and recently recovered by Israeli soldiers, depicting the horrifying moment when two female soldiers were shot in their vaginas.
Police Chief Superintendent Mirit Ben Mayor suggests that the violence against women is a convergence of two ferocious forces: “the hatred for Jews and the hatred for women,” the NYT reported. This perspective underscores the gravity of the crimes committed against women during the attacks, indicating a malicious intent driven by a combination of hatred and brutality.
Emergency medical workers, grappling with the traumatic scenes, express regret over not documenting more of what they witnessed. The NYT reported that their adherence to strict rules, such as those followed by ZAKA, the emergency response team, meant that they refrained from taking pictures, inadvertently destroying valuable evidence in the process.
Commenting on the NYT report was renowned author and feminist leader, Dr. Phyllis Chesler. As an intrepid advocate for women’s rights for over 60 years, Dr. Chesler has been in the forefront of highlighting the gender based violence inflicted upon women in Israel by Hamas on October 7th in numerous scholarly articles that appeared only days and weeks after the brutal massacre.
In a post on Sunday on X.com Dr. Chesler said, “It took the New York Times three months or 84 days to lead-feature an article on Hamas’s 10/7 sexual violence in “Screams Without Words: Hamas Subjected Israeli Women to Horrors Before Killing Them, Evidence Shows.” But from 10/8 on, almost every single day, the NYT’s reported on Israel’s assault on Gaza. Although they visually depicted it, they failed to connect the dots. Where else could Israel attack but where the terror tunnels and weapons caches exist—under mosques, schools, private homes, hospitals, and UN schools–sites clearly displayed in videos and photographs. My advice: Read widely, trust little on social media or in the left stream mass media. “
The post Unveiling the Horrors Experienced by Israeli Women on Oct 7: Barbaric Rape, Mutilation & Torture Perpetrated by Hamas Terrorists appeared first on The Jewish Voice.