Sheryl Sandberg Instagram – This week, I was honored to speak at the French National Assembly, the British Parliament, and the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs — joining with leaders from around the world to stand against rape. We came together to give voice to the women who were silenced by Hamas on Oct. 7. And we heard testimonies from three brave witnesses who saw firsthand the brutality of Hamas and its agonizing aftermath. Chief Superintendent Mirit Ben Mayor talked about the police investigation of Hamas’ crimes and hearing from witnesses who saw women being sexually attacked and raped and women’s bodies with no clothes, legs spread apart in a split, genitals cut off, and shot. Simcha Greiniman, a volunteer with Israel’s emergency response team, described the abused bodies of women his team recovered — underwear bloodied, one with nails in her genital region. And Shari Mendes, a member of an all-women’s army reserve unit, was tasked with preparing deceased female soldiers for burial at the Shura army base. She saw with her own eyes a systematic focus on female facial and genital mutilation. Their testimonies will forever weigh on my soul. This conversation goes beyond the politics of our time. If we can’t agree that the sexual violence Hamas committed is wrong, then we have accepted the unacceptable. Rape is terror. It’s torture. There are no circumstances that justify it. This is as true when it’s happening in Israel — as it is in Ukraine, Ethiopia, and anywhere around the globe. The intention of sexual violence is to generate fear. Let’s instead generate justice and ensure these crimes do not go unpunished. We owe this to all victims and survivors — past, recent, and future.