Sexual Violence as a Weapon of the Hamas-Israel War

Wars beget more wars. World War I was thought to be the war to end all wars, yet its imperfectly negotiated peace treaties led within 20 years to World War II. Subsequently there have been a multitude of conflicts and wars leading to severe suffering and destruction worldwide. A recent example is the conflict between Hamas and Israel. Longstanding resentments and imperfect treaties and policies have led to smoldering conflicts in which women, children, and civilians often bear the brunt of political events.

Military tacticians and philosophers have long attempted to define the acceptable limits of warfare. Collateral damage, proportionality, and innocence vs. non-innocence are studied at West Point, with Charles Trumbull (July 10, 2023) asserting that collateral damage to innocent bystanders may be lawful, but not always moral, and that commanders should take steps to minimize the risks to them.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, “prohibited methods of warfare include perfidy, terror, starvation, reprisals against non-military objectives, and indiscriminate attacks, … ordering that there shall be no survivors; pillage; taking hostages; … and taking advantage of the presence of the civilian population.”

In the October 7 attack on Israeli civilians, many of them women and children, we have seen that Hamas has used several of these prohibited methods of warfare. In a single day, 859 Israeli civilians and at least 350 Israeli soldiers and policemen were killed in nearby towns, kibbutzim, military bases and at a music festival in the desert. Around 250 Israeli civilians and soldiers were taken as hostages into Gaza. Of these 30 babies and children were also taken hostage, and others were beheaded or otherwise killed.

“When I saw the list of women’s rights organizations that said nothing, I nearly choked,” New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand said. “Where is the solidarity for women in this country and in this world to stand up for our mothers, our sisters and our daughters?”

Rape is a war crime, and the moral injury suffered by rape victims in Israel, as well as those in Ethiopia, Haiti, and Ukraine, must be addressed by the nations and international bodies of the world. Nations must supply resources and services to address the psychological and physical suffering resulting from this violence against innocent civilians.