Did Hamas really carry out a mass rape campaign of Israelis on October 7? That is the claim made by the Israeli government and by the likes of Hillary Clinton, who are asking the world to condemn a premeditated Hamas mass rape atrocity.

Almost immediately after the seven-day truce and prisoner swap between Hamas and Israel, out of which we heard testimonies that Palestinian women were being raped in Israeli jails, the claims of sexual violence against Israelis on October 7 resurfaced again.

While we should always take very seriously allegations of this sort and give women a fair hearing, there are no accusers, as Israel says all those women were killed, no estimate of roughly how many were raped, and no physical evidence. Major questions have been raised over the credibility of those making the allegations.

For instance, the head of the Israeli investigation commission supposed human rights expert Cochav Elkayam-Levy. Her background includes writing legal defenses for Israeli officials committing crimes against Palestinians, justifying the force-feeding torture method, and she just so happens to have direct connections to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.

Making things worse, Elkayam-Levy was caught sharing an image of a murdered Kurdish woman as alleged photographic proof of Palestinian crimes. She also relies on testimonies extracted by the Israeli Shin Bet, who are notorious for torture, making any admissions obtained under such conditions highly suspect. Another source she relies on is the testimonies of ZAKA rescue services, revealed to have been ironically created by “the Haredi Jeffrey Epstein” and serial rapist Yehuda Meshi-Zahav. Also brought to you by ZAKA were the “40 beheaded babies” and “Jewish babies found hanging from laundry lines” atrocity propaganda hoaxes.

A number of these Israeli claims, including one coming from an alleged member of Israel’s unit 669, feature significant inconsistencies from the facts established on the ground. Meanwhile, the main source for a BBC report on October 7 mass rapes was no other than politician May Golan, who became infamous after leading an anti-black rally in Tel Aviv, screaming, “I am proud to be a racist.”

In November, The Times of Israel admitted that no physical evidence was collected for rape, even as it repeated numerous accusations against Hamas. In fact, the allegations started on October 7 itself, before Israeli forces had even secured the areas where the said atrocities took place. On October 10, Joe Biden said that Israeli women were raped at a time when even the Israeli army said there was no evidence yet.

Israel’s commission, painted as trustworthy, has already drawn its conclusions before even taking any direct testimonies. Its response to criticism is that we should “believe all Israeli women,” which sounds great, yet most of the claims are coming from men.

So, until there’s a real independent fact-finding mission or tangible evidence presented, it’s impossible to tell if mass sexual violence did occur. Because if it did, it certainly is a war crime and must be condemned, just as the recent sexual violence against Palestinian women in Israeli prisons should.

Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker currently based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the occupied Palestinian territories and hosts the show ‘Palestine Files’. Director of ‘Steal of the Century: Trump’s Palestine-Israel Catastrophe’. Follow him on Twitter @falasteen47

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