By Canadian Press

Joly condemns Hamas rapes of Israeli women after weeks of pressure

Dec 7, 2023 | 10:55 AM

OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is condemning sexual violence committed by Hamas during its attack on Israel, after weeks of pressure to speak out.

On the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Joly says Canada strongly condemns gender-based violence, “including rape, perpetrated by Hamas against women in Israel.”

The Conservatives have been asking the government to condemn sexual violence by Hamas for weeks, with MP Michelle Rempel Garner saying that condemning violence in general isn’t enough.

In Edmonton, the University of Alberta replaced the head of its sexual assault centre for endorsing an open letter that questioned the validity of sexual assault claims against Hamas.

In Israel, women’s organizations have been calling on the international community to speak out, and the government has recently criticized foreign governments for not doing so.

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Yet police in Israel are still investigating what happened two months ago, after officials prioritized identifying bodies instead of preserving evidence, according to The Associated Press.

Officials say they have found it difficult to find rape survivors because many of the people believed to be victims of such acts were killed by their attackers.

Canada’s envoy for combatting antisemitism says questioning reports of Hamas militants raping Israeli women is an anti-Jewish act.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 7, 2023.

— With files from The Associated Press

The Canadian Press