The day after former hostage Romi Gonen testified describing sexual abuse at the hands of her captors, Writers Against the War on Gaza released a video calling for The New York Times to retract an article titled “Screams Without Words” two years after it was published. The group listed their “coalition of organizations,” which included the Democratic Socialists of America and Jewish Voice for Peace.
“Screams Without Words: How Hamas Weaponized Sexual Violence on Oct. 7” was published on Dec. 28, 2023. It documented evidence that Hamas used sexual violence during its terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. It was based on survivor testimony, first responders, medical professionals and visual records.
The recently posted video called the article a “racist, genocidal lie” that accused “Arab men of violent lust for European colonizers.” The group claimed that “no forensic evidence was presented because it was never collected.”
The post linked to a website called Boycott, Divest, Unsubscribe, which demands that The New York Times retract “the widely debunked” article, conduct a “review of anti-Palestinian bias” and call for an “arms embargo on Israel.”
The group lists those pledging to withhold writing for The New York Times, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), climate change and anti-Israel activist Greta Thunberg, author Sally Rooney and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament.
In addition to oral testimony from survivors, Israel’s national forensic institute, Abu Kabir, has confirmed that victims were sexually assaulted. Its scientists have shared the meticulous documentation of every remain that has been uncovered from Oct. 7.
