- Biden also called for the release of female hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, saying the group’s refusal to release them had broken the ceasefire with Israel.
- In a statement on Monday, Hamas dismissed the allegations of rape and sexual violence as “baseless lies”.
- Campaigners in Israel have derided what is seen as a peaceful international response to gender-based violence during the attack.
Biden also called for the release of female hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, saying the group’s refusal to release them had broken a ceasefire with Israel.
“The people of the world cannot watch what’s taking place,” Biden said at a campaign occasion in Boston.
Washington
The onus is on all of us — governments, international organizations, civil society and businesses — to unequivocally condemn sexual violence by Hamas terrorists.”
Campaigners in Israel have derided what is seen as a peaceful international response to gender-based violence during the attack.
In a statement on Monday, Hamas dismissed the allegations of rape and sexual violence as “baseless lies”.
Biden said there were reports that Hamas “used rape to terrorize women and girls” during last month’s attacks, which Israel says killed 1,200.
He said that,”For the past few weeks, Survivors and witnesses of the attacks shared impossibly grim accounts
brutality, including seduction, distortion and Humiliation of bodies,”.
“Hamas terrorists cause pain and struggle on as many women and girls as possible and then kill them – it is terrible”.
Biden said Hamas “refused to let go” of several women between the ages of 20 and 39 under a deal brokered by Qatar between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
“These women and all those still held hostage by Hamas must be immediately returned to their families. We are not going to stop until we bring every one of them home, which will be a long process,” he said.
