Plans are being developed by Israeli officials to address the potential for unintended births among the women who were abducted by Hamas on October 7. After being released from Hamas custody, captives who become “pregnant from being raped in Gaza” will need to choose whether to retain the child or abort it.
After over four months of fighting, more than 130 Israelis, including young women and teenage girls, were detained in Gaza. According to local news station Walla, preliminary evidence indicates that individuals may have suffered sexual assault during the original attack as well as while in Hamas custody.
Preparing for the homecoming of Israeli captives who have been sexually abused and are in varying stages of pregnancy has been discussed in hospitals and among gynaecologists nationwide. Normally, a pregnancy termination committee decides whether to approve an abortion request; but, in an effort to cut down on red tape, officials are thinking of skipping this stage, according to The New York Post, which cited Israeli media.
Both men and women who were freed by Hamas from captivity suffered from sexual assault and abuse. A physician who examined some of the 110 hostages rescued from captivity claimed to the AP in a story documenting claims of severe and pervasive sexual abuse that at least ten of the men and women who were set free had experienced sexual assault or abuse.
Chen Almog-Goldstein, who was freed from captivity in Gaza after more than 50 days, disclosed during a Tuesday session in the Israeli parliament that some of the younger female prisoners had ceased menstruating. Some females have gone an extended period without getting their period. Maybe we should all pray that their bodies shield them and prevent them from becoming pregnant as a result of rape,” the 49-year-old.
After being released from Hamas’s captivity, both males and women experienced sexual assault or maltreatment. A doctor who examined some of the victims claimed that at least ten men and women out of the 110 captives freed from captivity had been sexually abused or mistreated. The report included allegations of severe and widespread sexual torture.
During a Tuesday session in the Israeli parliament, Chen Almog-Goldstein, who was released from captivity in Gaza after more than 50 days, said that several of the younger female inmates had stopped menstruating. For some women, it has been a very long time since they had their period. The 49-year-old said, “Perhaps we should all pray that their bodies protect them from rape and keep them from getting pregnant.
