US President Joe Biden, spoke at a Tuesday fundraising event in Boston for his election campaign and mentioned the war in Gaza.
“Hamas terrorists have caused so much pain and suffering for women and young girls. The world cannot be silent. It is our responsibility to condemn the Hamas terrorists’ sexual violence,” said Biden. “Let’s be clear, Hamas’ refusal to release the women caused the renewal of fighting.”
He added that “all hostages still held by Hamas must be immediately released and returned to their families. We won’t stop.”
“We have reports from the first days after the Hamas attack of women being raped during the attack and in the past weeks. Survivors and witnesses have given horrific accounts of unimaginable cruelty. These women suffered repeated rapes and their bodies being mutilated while still alive, of women corpses being desecrated, and Hamas terrorists inflicting as much pain and suffering as — on women and girls as possible and then murdering them. It’s appalling.”
“But the world can’t just look away,” he stressed. “It’s on all of us — the government, international organizations, civil society, individual citizens — to forcefully condemn the sexual violence of Hamas terrorists without equivocation — without equivocation, without exception.”
Regarding the hostages who are still held in Gaza, he noted, “The women who are held there are mostly citizens aged 20-39 and Hamas refuses to release them, contrary to the agreements we reached via the Qataris.”