Washington D.C. – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) led a bipartisan effort with senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) as well as Deb Fischer (R-Nebr.) to denounce Hamas for using gender-based violence and sexual assault as weapons of war during the terrorist attack on October 7 on Israelis.
Senator Britt expressed her outrage over the acts of Hamas militants in her trip to Israel She emphasized the unanimity of opinion on these “reprehensible and barbaric sexual assaults.” She emphasized how important it was to make a unified condemnation of such acts.
Senator Shaheen shared these views in describing how Hamas has systematically used sexual violence and rape by Hamas as war crimes that are abominable under the international convention. She also stressed the necessity of defending the use of rape as a weapon in war in any conflict setting.
Senator Gillibrand has condemned she condemned the “horrific and barbaric act” perpetrated by Hamas on the 7th of October, noting the long-standing use of rape as an intentional method of torture against those of Jewish people. She also emphasized the bipartisan resolution as a pledge to condemn and demand accountability for these human rights violations.
Senator Fischer has firmly condemned the act of sexual violence and rape on the 7th of October and called the acts “horrific as well as barbaric.” She called on all groups to speak out against Hamas’s war crimes, and assist in bringing justice to those who committed the crimes.
Senators from both parties supported the resolution, highlighting the need for a united front against these crimes. The entire wording of the resolution can be found [here](link).
As per Senator Britt her, she is a strong proponent of Israel she has always pushed for accountability following the aftermath of the September 7th, 2023 attack. She has been a part of bipartisan initiatives, such as an op-ed directed to United Nations Secretary-General, condemning the U.N.’s lack of action regarding Hamas’s sex violence. Senator Britt has also backed resolutions that have been passed against Hamas and antisemitism. She has also pushed for tough sanctions against Iran to stop its support for terrorist proxies such as Hamas as well as Hezbollah.
