top of page
Hamas Fears Women's Accounts of Their Treatment in Captivity.
2023-12-04 (#181)
State Dept. Spokesperson Says Hamas Didn't Release All Women Hostages Fearing What They'd Say About Treatment in Captivity.
State Department Spokesperson Matt Miller tells reporters one of the reasons Hamas didn't release all its women hostages is because the group didn't want them relaying what happened to them while in captivity in Gaza. Miller also says the U.S. doesn't doubt reports of rape, which he labeled "atrocities" and says the U.S. has still to independently verify some of the reports.
Video Transcription:
Thank you.
Going back to your answer to the question about the
reports of rape of Israeli women by Hamas and use
of sexual violence as a war crime, as a weapon
of war, you said, we've seen Hamas commit atrocities.
We obviously condemn atrocities, but you didn't
use the words rape or sexual violence.
And I'm wondering if there's a reason for that,
for not a more explicit condemnation of rape.
Look, only because we haven't made
an independent assessment our own.
We've obviously seen the reports that
Hamas has committed sexual violence.
They've committed rape.
We have no reason at all to doubt those reports.
When you look at all the atrocities that
Hamas carried out on October 7 and the
atrocities that they have carried out since, the
fact that they continue to hold women hostages,
the fact that they continue to hold children. Hostages.
The fact that it seems one of the reasons they
don't want to turn women over that they've been holding
hostage, and the reason this pause fell apart is they
don't want those women to be able to talk about
what happened to them during their time in custody.
Certainly, there is very little that I would put
beyond Hamas when it comes to its treatment of
civilians and particularly its treatment of women.
bottom of page