Condemning Rape and Sexual Violence Committed By Hamas in its War Against Israel
Floor Speech
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Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 966 condemning rape and sexual violence committed by Hamas in its war against Israel, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I was proud to join my dear friend and colleague, Representative Lois Frankel of Florida--one of the strongest champions for the rights of women and girls around the world--in introducing this important, bipartisan resolution.
I am also grateful to our colleagues, Representatives Mario Diaz- Balart and Jen Kiggans for their leadership and commitment to raising awareness of the sexual and gender-based violence committed against Israeli women.
Mr. Speaker, on October 7, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, going house to house, murdering civilians, executing parents in front of their children, and massacring hundreds of young people at a music festival. In addition to the 1,200 people Hamas killed that day, it took an estimated 250 innocent civilians into Gaza, including women and children.
Since that day, we have only begun to understand the full scale of the horrific sexual violence that Hamas used as a weapon of war against Israeli women in its attack.
Just this morning, I heard firsthand testimony of witnesses and saw photographs of Israeli women of all ages who were raped, mutilated, brutalized, burned, and killed in horrific and unimaginable ways. Every day, more and more evidence is surfacing of the widespread and deliberate sexual violence that is almost unspeakable in its brutality.
This weaponized sexual violence should shock the conscience of the entire world. Despite all the evidence, however, some have minimized or outright denied the fact that Hamas used rape as a weapon of war on October 7.
The collective silence about this heinous sexual violence from groups around the world who purport to stand up for women's rights has been devastating--groups including UN Women, which took months to issue a statement clearly condemning these despicable acts as evil.
We are here today because we cannot and will not allow these horrific crimes to be denied. We must confront the terrible reality of what Hamas did in these attacks and the trauma inflicted on so many women and men.
That is why this resolution unequivocally condemns these atrocities, calls on all international bodies to denounce them, and reaffirms that the U.S. House of Representatives stands with these victims just like we stand with all women who are survivors of rape and sexual violence.
We remain deeply concerned for the women who are still among the hostages being held by Hamas. There is deep concern that these women are continuing to be sexually abused and may be pregnant. This House and this Congress must continue to do everything we can to get every single one of the remaining hostages released and home to their families.
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Ms. MANNING. Lois Frankel), my friend, the chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus, the co-chair of the Bipartisan Women, Peace, and Security Caucus, and the author of this resolution.
Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am rising today not only as a Member of this Congress but as a mother and a grandmother.
Mr. Speaker, there are some subjects that are so difficult to talk about, but it is our responsibility to do so.
Today, we shine a light on something very terrible: sexual violence used as a weapon of war. Today, our usually divided House, with the support of our Speaker, the Democratic leaders, and my friends, Kathy Manning, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Jen Kiggans, are presenting with 200-- let me repeat that, 200--cosponsors from both sides of the aisle, from all philosophical bents, a bipartisan resolution condemning sexual violence as a weapon of war and Hamas' despicable acts of rape and sexual violence in its war against Israel.
I send a special shout-out to my good friend from Florida, Mario Diaz-Balart, for his exceptional leadership for standing up for Israel and for the girls and women of this world.
Mr. Speaker, today we mark 131 days since October 7 when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, mercilessly killed 1,200 people, tortured and maimed thousands of others, taking 240 hostages.
War is never nice, but some actions in war are so awful and so devoid of humanity, they are considered crimes.
Hamas terrorists' actions on October 7 and continuing are almost too difficult to speak about--raping, mutilating, burning, and assaulting victims to inflict physical and psychological pain, unleashing trauma that continues to plague a grieving Israel.
This is what Raz Cohen, a survivor who witnessed Hamas' brutal rampage remembers. He said that five men came out of a van. They captured a woman, ripping off her clothes as they formed a circle around her. One raped her and killed her with a knife. Then he raped her again. He said that he still remembers her voice, screams without words--while Hamas just laughed.
Raz' story is just one account of the widespread, unimaginable crimes Hamas committed.
A well-known Israeli activist and actress, Noa Tishby, put it this way, saying that these rapes were not spontaneous. They were planned. They were calculated. In fact, they were a priority.
In their interrogations, captured Hamas terrorists calmly shared their orders to soil the women. They gang-raped women to death. They shot them in the head while they were raping them. They stabbed them and shot them while raping them. They raped them next to bodies of those who already had been slaughtered. They sliced off their breasts. First responders found bodies with nails driven inside girls' vaginas.
Mr. Speaker, together with colleagues, I recently met with the parents of two young women kidnapped by Hamas. They are 19 and 20 years old. They are both musicians. They, along with 20 other young women, are feared to be held captive underground in Gaza where air and food are scarce and abuse is abundant.
They have been there 131 days.
It is excruciating to imagine the horrors they are experiencing each day and the emotional torture of their families.
We must bring these hostages home now.
Shockingly and alarmingly, Hamas' brutal violence has been met with a shrug from many corners of the world. Some even deny it.
Sexual violence as a weapon of war has been used throughout history and around the world to terrorize and traumatize victims, but that doesn't make it okay. It must never be normalized.
Our resolution makes it clear: Sexual violence is a crime against humanity. Our resolution condemns all rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war, including those acts committed by Hamas. It calls on all nations to criminalize rape and sexual assault. It calls on all international bodies to condemn Hamas' barbaric actions. It reaffirms our support for an independent investigation of rape and sexual violence committed by Hamas and reaffirms our commitment to supporting survivors of rape and sexual violence.
I urge all our Members to join us in supporting this important amendment in a statement of humanity.
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Ms. MANNING. Tlaib).
Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to my colleagues who have spoken out and condemned the brutal sexual violence committed against Israeli women and girls on October 7.
With the passage of this important bipartisan resolution, we send a clear message that rape is wrong, the rape of Israeli women is wrong, the rape of all those brutalized during war is wrong. It must be called out, and it must be condemned. The United States stands firmly against gender-based violence and sexual abuse of women by Hamas.
Once again, I thank Representative Lois Frankel for her extraordinary leadership on this issue, and I urge all my colleagues to join me in support of this bill.
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