UNICEF condemns sexual violence against women and children on Oct. 7, with no mention of Hamas

UN children’s body UNICEF condemns the sexual violence against women and children on October 7, but makes no mention of the perpetrators, the Hamas terror group.
“The accounts of sexual violence on 7 October in Israel are horrific,” writes UNICEF chief Catherine Russell on X.
“Survivors must be heard, supported, and provided with care. Allegations must be fully investigated. We condemn gender-based violence and all forms of violence against women and girls,” Russell writes.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden castigated human rights groups, women’s organizations and the United Nations for failing to speak out about the rapes and other atrocities committed by Hamas against Israeli women and children, despite the two leaders having stayed largely publicly quiet on the matter until now.
International human rights organizations have faced intense scrutiny from public figures and rights organizations in Israel and the state’s supporters abroad, who have urged them to acknowledge and investigate the testimonies of rape and sexual violence committed during the October 7 onslaught in which thousands of Hamas-led terrorists killed more than 1,200 people and seized some 240 hostages.
The United Nations in particular has been the target of criticism by Israeli rights groups, after nearly eight weeks went by before it issued a condemnation and committed to launching an investigation into the allegations of sexual violence.