There was great relief at the release of 105 hostages held by the extremist Islamic movement Hamas in exchange for the release of convicted Palestinian criminals – in Israel and around the world. But the public only gradually learns what these people had to suffer under Hamas’ violence. Reports are incomplete. Not everything that free people say becomes known. People are shocked. There are still 138 hostages believed to be held by extremists, including 15 women and two children.

+++ All developments about the war in the Middle East in the live blog +++

The images of the liberators that roamed the world on November 24, and then left them behind, had a disturbing effect: hostages being led through an angry Palestinian mob, victims waving goodbye to their captors. “It was an offer they had to endure,” says Asher Ben-Arieh, a professor at the Paul Berwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Interview with Deutsche Welle a.

It is now known that the released hostages were drugged, at least in those days. Hagar Mizrahi, head of the Health Ministry’s medical department, recently told members of the Israeli parliament that the hostages, women and children, were given the drug clonazepam before they were released.

The drug is known as Clonex in Israel and is sold under the brand names Klonopin and Rivotril elsewhere. It is used preventively and to treat anxiety disorders, seizures, bipolar, agitation associated with psychosis, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The terrorists clearly wanted to make the hostages appear optimistic and content after 50 terrible days. Family members of the hostages first raised the drug issue.

Members of a medical team caring for a group of 19 children and seven women also reported that the hostages lost between 10 and 15 percent of their body weight. Deprived of food and water, some showed eating disorders upon their return.

According to his aunt Deborah Cohen, 12-year-old Etan was forced to „watch horror videos from October 7” while being held hostage and held alone in a room for some time. “When he arrived in Gaza, the people he passed beat him,” Cohen told French radio. “They threatened the children with a gun if they started crying.” Nine-year-old Emily didn’t whisper until after she returned from the Gaza Strip, her father says. „When she talked to me, I couldn’t understand anything.”

50 days in the dark

Thirteen-year-old Hela’s uncle reported that she spent about 50 days in the dark, and she is also a hostage who was released. Some people slept on chairs, others on mattresses on the floor. Yair Rotem told Israeli media that they were told to whisper during the day and be quiet at night.

Among the 138 hostages still held by Hamas are 15 women and two children. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller in Washington told reporters that the reason Hamas did not hand over these hostages, despite them fulfilling all the conditions for surrender, was clearly “because they did not want them to talk about what happened to them.” . These seem to be people who have suffered special cruelty.

But even what is already known exceeds all fears. In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet on Tuesday, the recently released hostages confirmed that they had been subjected to sexual violence and assault by their captors.

Hamas denies reports of violations

Hamas „strongly rejected and condemned” reports of violations. A post on the messaging app Telegram said such claims are “lies” from Israel aimed at discrediting the “humane” way Hamas treats Israeli hostages.

But the terrorists themselves have provided the first evidence that the attack on October 7 led to systematic sexual violence of the worst levels, especially against visitors to the Supernova festival, in the form of streaming films. The young woman, whose photos went viral on October 7 wearing sweatpants stained with blood, is still in Hamas’s grip.

39-year-old Yoni Sadoun, a survivor of the Supernova Festival, in which hundreds of young people were killed, described in the British newspaper The Sunday Times what he was to notice hiding under the bodies: an eight-year-old woman. Or “she was beaten and raped by ten fighters” before being shot. „And when they finished, they laughed.”

Israeli women’s rights activist and lawyer Ruth Halperin-Kadari told the BBC: „I have seen a number of first-hand eyewitness accounts, for example from a survivor who hid in the bush and saw a woman next to him being raped by several men.” Radio 4 Today programme.

“We saw broken legs, broken pelvises, and blood-stained underwear,” said a female soldier, who requested to remain anonymous and is responsible for forensic examinations of severely beaten or partially burned bodies at a military base.South German newspaper„.

Israeli police examine 60,000 video clips

Israeli police said investigators are reviewing about 60,000 videos from seized cameras of Hamas terrorists and surveillance cameras, as well as from social media. The Israeli army found Captagon pills in the bags of killed Hamas fighters. It is likely that many of them were under the influence of this stimulant, also known as the “jihadi drug,” which the terrorist “Islamic State” militia had previously given to its fighters.

Evidence of sexual violence ranged from suspected gang rape to post-mortem mutilation. But suspected rape victims are said to be difficult to find because many of them were killed by extremists. Or maybe they are still being held hostage.

“It has become increasingly clear that violence committed against women, men and children also includes widespread sexual and gender-based violence,” Physicians for Human Rights Israel wrote in a report. “We know for sure that there was more than one case and that the attacks were not limited to one place,” added Hadas Siu, an ethics expert working for the group. “What we don’t know and what the police are investigating is whether or not an order was issued and whether it was systematic.”

And this is exactly what no one in Israel doubts: “It seems that their mission was to rape as many people as possible,” said Haim Otzgen, a senior member of ZAKA, an Israeli volunteer rescue service that was responsible for the detailed search for the bodies. The clues since October 7 have been busy in The Sunday Times.

In light of these reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Tuesday, accused the United Nations and human rights activists of turning a blind eye to the matter.

Netanyahu said in a press conference on Tuesday evening: “I say to women’s rights organizations, human rights organizations – you have heard about the rape of Israeli women, the terrible atrocities, sexual mutilation – where the hell are you?” He expects all governments and „civilized” countries to „say something against this cruelty.”

The United Nations ignored the women’s suffering for seven weeks

In fact, there is so much anger in Israel that the United Nations took more than seven weeks to address women’s plight in a statement for the first time: „There are numerous reports of sexual violence during Hamas’ heinous terrorist acts on October 7.” “We must vigorously investigate and prosecute those accused,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres wrote. We are disturbed by the numerous reports of gender-based atrocities and sexual violence during these attacks.

RND/STO/AP

1. Homepage
2. Policy

was standing: December 6, 2023 at 12:50 pm

from: Niels Hinsberger

He pressesDivides

Ukrainian drones may have struck a Russian fuel depot, and Zelensky is now hoping for more support from the US. News ticker about the Ukraine war.

• Ukraine war: Huge losses for Vladimir Putin’s army
• Russian air strikes: Ukraine shoots down 41 Russian drones
• The information processed here comes from international media and news agencies, but also from warring parties Russia and Ukraine Beside Their allies. In particular, information on losses suffered by the armies participating in the Ukrainian war cannot be independently verified.

Updated as of December 6, 2023 at 12:45 PM: Russia appears to have once again attacked a Ukrainian thermal power plant in the frontline area. Reports stated that the industrial building was damaged Ukrainian Pravda. However, no injuries were reported. As announced by the responsible energy company DTEK, this was the sixth attack by Russian invading forces on the power plant.

Ukraine News: Russia sent combat drones to Ukraine

Updated from December 6, 11:39 a.m: Russia has repeatedly fired on Ukraine using several combat drones in recent nights. They are also repelled with the help of Western air defense systems, including the Iris-T type supplied from Germany.

Looking ahead to the coming winter, Ukrainian representatives also warn that Russia may again target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, as it did last year.

Updated as of December 6, 2023 at 10:20 AM: The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense explains in an interview with Fox NewsThat is why Volodymyr Zelensky canceled the meeting with the US Senate. Accordingly, the constantly changing situation in the war against Russia is responsible for the failure. “It is war, so the situation could change. But I think President Zelenskyy will appreciate it and will do it (meeting) next time,” the Defense Ministry spokesman said.

Huge losses for Russia in the Ukraine war

Updated as of December 6, 2023 at 9:20 AM: The Russian armed forces are said to have suffered heavy losses in the Ukraine war. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that 1,270 Russian soldiers were killed in the past 24 hours. In addition, a large number of Russian military equipment was destroyed, they added Ukrainian Pravda.

Ukraine War: 41 Russian drones shot down

Update from December 6 at 8:00 AM: The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that Russia has sent a total of 48 combat drones to the Ukrainian war. The Russian Armed Forces said the drone sounds were loud last night Ukrainian Pravda It started from two directions. However, the Ukrainian military destroyed 41 of the 50 missiles whose identity was not revealed, according to an air force spokesman.

Ukraine War: Ukraine attacks Russian fuel depot

Update from December 6 at 7:00 AM: as Kyiv Post It was reported that Ukrainian drones attacked a Russian fuel depot in eastern Ukraine. The drones were able to fly through an active war zone and destroy the camp in Russian-occupied Luhansk. After the attack, the Russian army repositioned itself in the area that was attacked so as not to “become easy prey for Ukraine,” the Ukrainian army said on Telegram.

• Soldiers: 335,110 (+1270 the previous day)
• tank: 5600 (+13)
• Armored vehicles: 10,456 (+15)
• Artillery systems: 8024 (+37)
• Multiple rocket launchers: 919 (+3)
• Anti-aircraft guns: 605
• Planes: 324 (+1)
• helicopter: 324
• Drones: 6083 (+51)
• Missiles/cruise missiles: 1569
• Ships: 22
• Submarines: 1
• Tank trucks and other vehicles: 10,532(+49)
• Source: Ukrainian General Staff as of December 6, 2023. Information about Russian losses comes from the Ukrainian army. It cannot be independently verified. Russia itself does not provide any information about its losses in the Ukraine war

Weather warning over Ukraine

Update from December 6, 6:00 a.m.: On Wednesday evening, a weather alert was issued again over large parts of Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia attacked again with combat drones. According to the Ukrainian military, Wednesday will be the 651st day of the war.

Updated as of December 5 at 10:55 PM EST: As ZDF’s „Heute Journal” announced, Volodymyr Selensky canceled a video speech to the US Senate on short notice. The reasons for the cancellation were not known.

Since planned US military aid expires at the end of the year, the Ukrainian president is counting on more support from the United States. However, the package of measures planned by Joe Biden is being blocked by Republican representatives. The support is expected to reach an additional $81 million.

Ukraine War: Heavy fighting in the east

The first report: Kiev – On the front in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian army is under pressure from Russian infantry, artillery and air force, according to the news agency. dpa Announce. On Monday alone, the Ukrainian army was said to have repelled 61 attacks, according to the General Staff in Kiev in its evening report. Many towns on the front were also affected by Russian attacks. Ukraine’s counter-reactions were not mentioned in the report.

Ukraine News: Russia increases its attacks on Avdiivka

Russia continues to focus more on the city of Avdiivka in Donbas. “The enemy made failed attempts to penetrate the Ukrainian defenses,” the General Staff said in a report. When the Russian army tried to isolate the Ukrainian forces in the city, the Russian army suffered heavy losses in men and equipment.

Heavy Russian losses in the Ukraine war

However, Russia appears to be paying for small successes on the Ukrainian war front with major losses. More than a thousand Russian soldiers are said to have died in the past 24 hours alone. At least that’s what the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense claims. They also managed to destroy several of the attackers’ artillery systems. Russia’s loss numbers at a glance:

Ukraine News: Russia claims to have repelled Ukrainian drones

Russia owns 22 drones from Ukraine dpa-Information avoided. The government in Moscow announced that 13 more drones had been intercepted over the Sea of ​​Azov and the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed. Reports cannot be independently verified.

Meanwhile, Russian drones are said to have attacked Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, causing several fires. “Civilian infrastructure facilities” were also hit, Governor Oleh Aingehobo announced on Telegram. There was no mention of anyone being injured or killed. (With news agency materials)