الكاتب: kafej

Authorities in Israel don’t know, and may never know, how many people were sexually abused by Hamas on 7 October, but evidence that many women were subjected to rape and assault has grown over recent weeks.

At least 300 of the dead on that day were women, many at the Nova musical festival.

Because so many of the victims, and the attackers, are dead, gathering evidence and building criminal cases is very hard.

Many of the corpses were too decomposed by the time they could be retrieved or very badly burnt and disfigured.

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The priority in the days after the attacks was to identify the dead so that families could be told.

Many of the dead were then buried quickly under Jewish law before the testimonies of sexual violence were properly realised or understood.

Securing convictions for sexual violence are incredibly hard. Reuters recently reported that roughly 80% of cases in Israel are closed every year due to insufficient evidence.

Many of the 7 October survivors are reportedly too traumatised to speak about their experience and the dead have no voice to do so.

Read more:
What happened after Hamas left the Nova festival site
Israel vowed to eliminate Hamas – can it be done?
Panic and heartbreak: The devastating effect of an airstrike in Gaza

A UN Committee investigating war crimes on both sides will examine accusations of gender-based violence.

Hamas vehemently denies its fighters carried out sexual assaults, and it would be contrary to Islamic teaching, but Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, a women’s rights expert and Bar-Ilan University in Israel, told us it was a tactic of genocide.

“It is seen as an extremely potent manner to achieve the ultimate humiliation and devastation of the enemy,” she said.

“The body of the woman is perceived to be as the symbol of the body of the nation.

“So violating, invading the body of women is taken as if the whole nation is being invaded and violated. It also serves to humiliate the men of the enemy on account of their inability to protect their women.”

Tennis legend Chris Evert has announced her ovarian cancer has returned.

The 18-time grand slam champion released a statement in which she said she had started another round of chemotherapy.

The 68-year-old American was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in December 2021 after undergoing a preventative hysterectomy.

She was given the all-clear in January this year and was told there was a 90% chance the cancer would not return.

But in a statement released through ESPN, for whom she works as a pundit, Evert said: “I wanted to give all of you an update. My cancer is back.

“While this is a diagnosis I never wanted to hear, I once again feel fortunate that it was caught early.

“Based on a PET CT scan, I underwent another robotic surgery this past week. Doctors found cancer cells in the same pelvic region.

“All cells were removed, and I have begun another round of chemotherapy.”

Evert said she would not be working at the Australian Open while she continues treatment.

However, she said she would be “ready for the rest of the grand slam season”.

“I encourage everyone to know your family history and advocate for yourself,” she added.

“Early detection saves lives. Be thankful for your health this holiday season.”

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Evert’s sister, Jeanne Evert Dubin, died from ovarian cancer in 2020 at the age of 62.

Testing later revealed Evert had a pathogenic variant of the BRCA1 gene and following discussions with her doctor, she had a hysterectomy in early December – at which point the cancer was discovered.

She shared in a first-person piece for ESPN earlier this year that a “genetic road map” had helped her detect her cancer early.

Evert won 18 Grand Slam singles titles during her career, reached number one in the WTA rankings, and was inducted into the International Hall of Fame in 1995.

Alongside her greatest rival, Martina Navratilova, she dominated women’s tennis for much of the 1970s and 1980s.

Though the pair were great rivals on the pitch, Navratilova previously credited Evert with supporting her when she was diagnosed with throat and breast cancer in 2022.

واس – جدة:

أعرب الأمين العام لمنظمة التعاون الإسلامي حسين إبراهيم طه، عن استيائه واستنكاره لإخفاق مجلس الأمن الدولي في التصويت لصالح قرار حاسم بوقف إطلاق النار، معتبراً أن هذا الإخفاق ينعكس سلباً على دوره في حفظ السلم والأمن الدوليين وحماية المدنيين الأبرياء، ووضع حد لهذه الكارثة الإنسانية المتفاقمة نتيجة استمرار العدوان الإسرائيلي الغاشم على الشعب الفلسطيني في قطاع غزة. وحذر الأمين العام من أن إخفاق مجلس الأمن الدولي في تحمل مسؤولياته في هذه المرحلة الحرجة، يعطي الاحتلال الإسرائيلي فرصة لمواصلة وتصعيد عدوانه على الشعب الفلسطيني.

وأشاد بمواقف جميع الدول التي دعمت مشروع القرار في مجلس الأمن الدولي، مجدداً التأكيد على ضرورة مواصلة الجهود لتحقيق وقف فوري لإطلاق النار، وضمان إيصال المساعدات الإنسانية إلى قطاع غزة، وتوفير الحماية الدولية للشعب الفلسطيني.