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UN Women has been supporting Palestinian women since 1997 to achieve their social, economic, and political rights. We remain present on the ground to provide support and assistance and will do so for as long as it takes.

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UN Women is the global champion for gender equality, working to develop and uphold standards and create an environment in which every woman and girl can exercise her human rights and live up to her full potential. We are trusted partners for advocates and decision-makers from all walks of life, and a leader in the effort to achieve gender equality.

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United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) was established in July 2010 by the General Assembly (res. 64/289) to improve the coordination and coherence of gender equality and empowerment of women, and promote more effective gender mainstreaming across the UN system.

It consolidated the work of four UN gender entities: the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Division for the Advancement of Women, the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues, and the UN International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women. It has an additional role of leading, coordinating and promoting the accountability of the UN system in its work on gender equality and the empowerment of women.

UN Women's fundamental objective is to enhance national capacity and ownership to enable national partners to formulate gender-responsive laws and policies and to scale up successful strategies to deliver on national commitments to gender equality. It has five core principles:

Providing demand-driven support to national partners to enhance implementation of international agreements and standards

Supporting inter-governmental processes to strengthen the global normative and policy framework on gender equality

Advocating for gender equality and women's empowerment, championing the rights of women and girls - particularly those who are most excluded

Leading and promoting coherence in UN system work on gender equality

Acting as a global broker of knowledge and experience, aligning practice with normative guidance.

UN Women's five thematic focus points are: expanding women's voice, leadership and participation; ending violence against women; strengthening implementation of women's peace and security agenda; enhancing women's economic empowerment; and making gender equality priorities central to national, local and sectoral planning, budgeting and statistics.

Several international agreements guide the work of UN Women: the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW); Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (PFA); UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (2000) and subsequent resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010); and the Millennium Declaration and Millennium Development Goals.

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United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) was established in July 2010 by the General Assembly (res. 64/289) to improve the coordination and coherence of gender equality and empowerment of women, and promote more effective gender mainstreaming across the UN system.

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Non-governmental organizations, or NGOs, were first called such in Article 71 in the Charter of the newly formed United Nations in 1945. While NGOs have no fixed or formal definition, they are generally defined as nonprofit entities independent of governmental influence (although they may receive government funding).

As one can tell from the basic definition above, the difference between nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and NGOs is slim. However, the term "NGO" is not typically applied to U.S.-based nonprofit organizations. Generally, the NGO label is given to organizations operating on an international level although some countries classify their own civil society groups as NGOs.

NGO activities include, but are not limited to, environmental, social, advocacy and human rights work. They can work to promote social or political change on a broad scale or very locally. NGOs play a critical part in developing society, improving communities, and promoting citizen participation.
Dive in to this topic with Candid courses:

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What is an NGO? What role does it play in civil society? | Knowledge base | Candid Learning

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Non-governmental organizations, or NGOs, were first called such in Article 71 in the Charter of the newly formed United Nations in 1945. While NGOs have no fixed or formal definition, they are generally defined as nonprofit entities independent of governmental influence (although they may receive government funding).

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The Issue

To raise awareness and trigger action to end the global scourge of violence against women and girls, the UN observes International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November. The 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence which follow (ending on 10 December, Human Rights Day) are a chance to mobilize and raise awareness.

This year, the UN Secretary-General's UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign invites you to "Orange YOUR Neighbourhood," with the colour designated by the UNiTE campaign to symbolize a brighter future without violence. Organize events to orange your local streets, shops and schools!

Sobering numbers show that 1 in 3 women have experienced physical or sexual violence, mostly by an intimate partner; about 120 million girls have been forced into intercourse or other sexual acts at some point in their lives; and 133 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation.

Ending violence against women is one of UN Women's key priorities, with myriad programmes to address the pandemic globally. UN Women also coordinates the UN Secretary-General's UNiTE campaign, supports widespread social mobilization through its Say NO - UNiTE social media platforms on Facebook and Twitter, and manages the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women.

The Beijing promise

At the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women, UN Member States adopted the path-breaking Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, taking up the global call to end all forms of violence against women and girls by highlighting violence against women as one of 12 critical areas of concern. They recognized that violence is one of the main mechanisms denying women equality, and that it imposes high social, health and economic costs.

Since Beijing, an historic two-thirds of countries have put laws on the books to stop domestic violence. Advocacy campaigns around the world have heightened awareness and galvanized actions to stop violence. Yet gaps in laws, implementation of legal protection and essential services remain. Momentum has begun, but needs to rapidly accelerate.

This year, as we near the 20th anniversary of Beijing, we take a look at how violence is not only an area of concern in its own right, but one which cuts across and intersects with each of the critical areas of concern.

See how:
Click on each of the tiles above for more
News
Press releases and coverage:

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To raise awareness and trigger action to end the global scourge of violence against women and girls, the UN observes International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women every 25 November. Ending violence against women is one of UN Women's key priorities, with myriad programmes to address the pandemic globally.

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Violence is among the most severe human rights violations, and women are often attacked for sexual reasons or even on account of their gender. The phenomenon of femicide is on the rise and reports estimate that of all women killed in 2012, almost half were killed by intimate partners or family members. Women human rights defenders are also often the deliberate targets of violence. According to a 2012 Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women [Page 14], women community leaders in Colombia, and women fighting for their rights, are the main targets of gender-related killings.

Under international treaties such as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, governments have a legal obligation to protect women from violence, to promote the human rights of all women and to ensure their economic, legal, social and political empowerment. This requires acting to prevent all forms of violence, reforming discriminatory laws and policies and ensuring that survivors of violence have access to justice.

UN Women advocates and provides technical assistance to ensure that States create and implement laws, policies and plans to protect women against multiple forms of violence. We work with other UN partners to train and educate law enforcement and justice officials
In Palestine, specialized prosecutors to enhance women survivors' access to justice
UN Women is training a pool of 15 specialized public prosecutors to handle domestic and gender-based violence cases. We are also supporting the development of Standard Operating Procedures and helping improve coordination with service providers to ensure access to justice for survivors of violence in Palestine.
Ending impunity for femicide across Latin America
Of the 25 countries with the highest femicide rates, more than half are in the Americas. With increasing rates of violence against women reported due to organized crime, and human, drug and arms trafficking, UN Women and the UN Human Rights Office have developed a Model Protocol to guide investigations of gender-based murders. Several Latin American countries are working to implement the Protocol, the goal of which is to improve treatment of victims and end impunity for the tens of thousands of women and girls murdered in Latin America each year.
What the Beijing Declaration says about Go back to UN Women's In Focus compilation on Ending Violence against Women 2014 Human rights of women

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This year, as we near the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, we take a look at how violence is not only an area of concern in its own right, but one which cuts across and intersects with each of its 12 critical areas of concern.

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What is the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action?

"To advance the goals of equality, development, and peace for all women everywhere in the interest of all humanity". (Beijing Declaration, 1995).

"In 1995, 189 governments were joined by 17,000 participants and 30,000 non-governmental activists in Beijing for the opening of the Fourth World Conference on Women. For two weeks, government representatives worked on producing a document of agreed written targets towards achieving gender equality. Meanwhile, the non-governmental activists followed the process closely and reviewed, rebuked, or supported, suggestions as they were made. Through their lobbying efforts, civil society applied pressure on governments to make meaningful commitments, ones which would ensure gender equity across all domains, for all individuals. The outcome of this momentous conference was the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA). The BPfA has since been declared:
"the most progressive blueprint ever for advancing women's rights", (UN Women).
The document identifies 12 critical areas of concern. "In each critical area of concern, the problem is diagnosed and strategic objectives are proposed with concrete actions to be taken by various actors in order to achieve those objectives" (BPfA). In this way, the BPfA becomes a comprehensive guide to understanding and combatting the key barriers to gender equality.
The twelve critical areas of concern are as follows:
· Women and the environment
· Women in power and decision-making
· The girl child
· Women and the economy
· Women and poverty
· Violence against women
· Human rights of women
· Education and training of women
· Institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women
· Women and health
· Women and the media
· Women and armed conflict

Have the Goals Been Met?
Twenty-five years after the adoption of BPfA, more women and girls have access to free, quality education, awareness and action against gender-based violence is improving, and we are seeing a gradual increase in women in positions of power and decision-making. However, no country has achieved complete equality for women and girls. Even in regions that are close to achieving gender equality in law, the lived reality falls short.
"A critical combination of a lack of political will, inaction and inadequate funding has caused uneven progress on the 12 Critical Areas of Concern" (SI Written Statement to CSW 64). Where do we go from here?
In 2019, UN Women launched the Generation Equality Campaign and Generation Equality Forum (also called Beijing +25), which was organised in collaboration with civil society, and the 64th Session of the UN's Commission on the Status of Women (CSW64). The forums were designed to facilitate the review of the BPfA and lead up to a UN General Assembly high-level meeting in New York on September 23, 2020. The Generation Equality Forum will begin in Mexico City, May 7-8, 2020 and will conclude in Paris from 7-10 of July, 2020. It will focus on an intergenerational approach to gender equality, producing demands which echo those of the BPfA as they focus on "equal pay, equal sharing of unpaid care and domestic work, an end to sexual harassment and all forms of violence against women and girls, health-care services that respond to women's needs, and women's equal participation in political life and decision-making in all areas of life" (UN Women), for all generations.

This years' CSW, saw the adoption of a political declaration from Member States, pledging their ongoing commitment to implementing the BPfA. Meanwhile, the Feminist and Women's Movement Action Plan is an inclusive network of governments, civil society and private sector participants whose purpose is to create alliances, promote innovation and mobilise resources. The Action Plan will develop from a review of the BPfA, alongside other international treaties, to produce updated objectives and rejuvenate the BPfA's relevance in today's climate. The outcome seeks strong commitments from governments and the private sector, in support of the demands and claims expressed in the Plan. During the UN General Assembly in September, it is hoped that governments will make commitments to finance and implement the Feminist and Women's Movement Action Plan.

By continuing to hold governments to account, using the BPfA as a blueprint for future demands and commitments, we can hope to see further advancements towards gender equality for all, everywhere".
Article by SI Advocacy Coordinator, Hannah Agius.

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What is the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action? - Soroptimist International

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SI Advocacy Coordinator, Hannah Agius, explains the role of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in shaping today's progression towards gender equality.Read More

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A continually growing research base has now recognized the importance of women's involvement in peace and security issues to achieving long lasting stability. This acknowledgment stems from the efforts by international organizations, national governments and civil society around the world to establish what we now know as the Women, Peace and Security Agenda through the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.

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Lady Tee Thompson, UNA Women Chair

Lady Tee Thompson is the principal of the international organization AgroBiz.org and the founder of Cashew Queens, an emerging social enterprise. Her current roles are Co-Chair, of United Nations Association of the USA Women's Affinity Group and Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Committee, and Gender Equality Expert.

Among her professional advocacy responsibilities are women's self-sufficiency, equity and equality, African descendant diaspora inclusion, youth and women's empowerment, agricultural and entrepreneurial skills transfer, and investment matchmaking for women & minority companies. Lady Tee holds a Master's in Business Administration, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Legal Administration from the prestigious University of Detroit Mercy. She lives in the metro Detroit area with her family.

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Lady Tee Thompson is the principal of the international organization AgroBiz.org and the founder of Cashew Queens, an emerging social enterprise. Her current roles are Co-Chair, of United Nations Association of the USA Women's Affinity Group and Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Committee, and Gender Equality Expert.

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From Spotlight Initiative's #WithHer campaign comes 'A brighter future', a short video series centred around five activists and gender-based violence survivors in Uganda. The campaign illustrates how Spotlight Initiative's unique and comprehensive model brings together the United Nations system, governments, and a wide range of partners to deliver high-impact solutions that save women and girls' lives.

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ONU Mujeres ofrece subsidios para impulsar programas innovadores y de gran impacto ejecutados por organismos de gobierno y grupos de la sociedad civil a través de dos fondos: el Fondo para la Igualdad de Género y el Fondo Fiduciario de la ONU para Eliminar la Violencia contra la Mujer. El Fondo para la Igualdad de Género, una iniciativa de múltiples donantes, está dedicado a programas que incrementan las oportunidades económicas o la participación política de las mujeres en ámbitos locales y nacionales. Administrado por ONU Mujeres en nombre del sistema de la ONU, el Fondo Fiduciario de la ONU trabaja para detener las diversas formas de violencia por motivos de género que menoscaban los derechos de las mujeres en todo el mundo.

Más información:
Fondo para la Igualdad de Género
Fondo Fiduciario de la ONU para Eliminar la Violencia contra la Mujer

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ONU Mujeres ofrece subsidios para impulsar programas innovadores y de gran impacto ejecutados por organismos de gobierno y grupos de la sociedad civil a través de dos fondos: el Fondo para la Igualdad de Género y el Fondo Fiduciario de la ONU para Eliminar la Violencia contra la Mujer.

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En su mensaje para este 8 de marzo de 2020, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, directora ejecutiva de ONU Mujeres, expresa su profunda impaciencia y esperanza de cambio. El 2020 marca el veinticinco aniversario de la adopción de la Plataforma de Acción de Beijing, la hoja de ruta para la concreción de los derechos de las mujeres y las niñas en todo el mundo.

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Munroe Bergdorf, en una foto de archivo | Flickr/CC/steven.eason

Decenas de asociaciones españolas se han sumado este martes a la protesta liderada por feministas del Reino Unido en contra del nombramiento de Munroe Bergdord, "un varón trans", como embajadora de la ONU Mujeres, la organización de las Naciones Unidas dedicada a "promover la igualdad de género y el empoderamiento" de las féminas.

Todas ellas suscriben la carta en la que se denuncia que su elección "supone un desprecio a la valía de las más de 33 millones de mujeres del Reino Unido" y exigen su destitución inmediata, haciendo hincapié, además, en las numerosas declaraciones "insultantes y despectivas" que la activista ha realizado en los últimos años sobre las mujeres y que, según defienden, son "contrarias a sus derechos".

Tal y como puede comprobarse en la hemeroteca, han sido varias las ocasiones en las que se ha referido a las homosexuales como " vieja tortillera" o " lesbiana peluda estéril". Sin embargo, las polémicas que rodean a la también modelo son múltiples y muy variadas. Hace unos años la también modelo fue despedida de L'Oréal por llamar "racistas" a "todos los blancos" y más recientemente fue destituida como embajadora de Childline, una organización benéfica infantil, por sus mensajes "inapropiados y contrarios a las normas de protección a la infancia".

Además, las feministas denuncian que la forma en que Bergdof se presenta es "una versión extrema y sexualizada de la feminidad", encarnando "una cosificación que la mayoría de las mujeres rechazan como un ejemplo especialmente denigrante de ofensivos estereotipos de género".

Lo que dice la carta

Así, la carta dirigida a Sima Bahous, directora ejecutiva de ONU Mujeres, denuncia que esta organización " ignora a todas las activistas que luchan por los derechos de las mujeres en favor de una persona transfemenina que hace ostentación de estereotipos sexistas y que desprecia las políticas públicas destinadas a combatir las desigualdades, discriminaciones y violencia específicas que sufren las mujeres".

Precisamente por eso, las más de 60 asociaciones españolas que se han sumado a la protesta cree que "nombrar como embajadora"a Bergdof parece una provocación y un ataque deliberado contra las mujeres del Reino Unido y de otros países que luchan por impedir el desmantelamiento de las políticas públicas de apoyo a las mujeres en su camino hacia la igualdad". A su juicio, "la candidata a embajadora debe ser una mujer dispuesta y decidida a hablar de los problemas que afectan a las mujeres y las niñas", por lo que insisten en que el nombramiento de Munroe Bergdorf "es inadecuado en todos los sentidos".

Entre las firmantes de nuestro país figuran la Alianza contra el Borrado de las Mujeres, la Federación de Mujeres Progresistas, la Asociación Española de Feministas Socialistas, la Confluencia Movimiento Feminista, el Partido Feministas al Congreso y el Forum de Politica Feminista. Dichas organizaciones, no obstante, ya están difundiendo la carta de denuncia a través de sus redes sociales a fin de recabar más apoyos para exigir la destitución de Bergdof.

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Las feministas estallan ante el nombramiento de un polémico "varón trans" como embajadora de las mujeres ante la ONU

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Las españolas se suman a la protesta desatada en el Reino Unido, donde decenas de asociaciones exigen la destitución inmediata de Munroe Bergdorf.

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In December the UN Women's UK committee appointed a male who presents in a highly sexualised stereotype of womanhood as an ambassador for women. We coordinated a letter from seventeen UK campaign groups* to register our dismay, as reported in the Times today.

UN Women has made a point of demonstrating that it considers males can become women. It's disappointing to see the UK committee go so far as to select a male to represent women. Their credibility is in tatters.
*This letter was edited on 8th January 2024

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A letter to UN Women from UK campaign groups | Fair Play For Women

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In December the UN Women's UK committee appointed a male who presents in a highly sexualised stereotype of womanhood as an ambassador for women. We coordinated a letter from seventeen UK campaign groups* to register our dismay, as reported in the Times today. UN Women has made a point of demonstrating that it considers males [...]

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Women's rights groups have written in opposition to a decision by UN Women UK to have a transgender woman as its "UK champion".

They have voiced their "dismay and disappointment" following the decision to select Munroe Bergdorf, 36, a model and broadcaster, to take on the role in November.

The organisations include Fair Play for Women, Sex Matters, Transgender Trend and the Women's Rights Network.

UN Women UK works in support of UN Women in a bid to transform the lives of women and girls along with "empowerment of women equality globally within civil society, government and the corporate sector".

The groups in their joint letter, seen by The Times, wrote: "We wish to register our dismay and disappointment at the appointment of Munroe Bergdorf as a UN Women UK champion. Munroe Bergdorf is unsuitable in every regard. Munroe Bergdorf's well-publicised activism is not pro-women. This person has objected to women making references to our female bodies."

I am incredibly proud to step into my new role

They called into question how Ms Bergdorf could hold such a role although she does not speak about female bodies.

She has previously held the role of an advocate for UN Women UK back in 2019.

Ms Bergdorf has also been a supporter of the Draw a Line campaign, in a drive to end violence against women and girls.

On being given the role, she said: "I'm incredibly proud to step into my new role as a UN Women UK Champion. Working with the UN has been a personal ambition and dream of mine ever since I started working in the activism space over a decade ago. It's a responsibility that I don't take lightly.

"I will use this role to further advocate for the progress, safety, inclusion and empowerment of all women and girls, of all communities and identities. I will continue to draw attention to the systemic and social impact of misogyny, transphobia and gender-based inequality within the UK - in order to help provide data and insight that contributes to forming tangible methods of tracking and countering it."

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Trans model shouldn't represent women, UN told

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Rights groups combine to oppose appointment of Munroe Bergdorf

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BACKGROUND

HAMAS formed in late 1987 at the beginning of the first Palestinian intifada (uprising). Its roots are in the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, and it is supported by a robust sociopolitical structure inside the Palestinian territories. The group's charter calls for establishing an Islamic Palestinian state in place of Israel and rejects all agreements made between the PLO and Israel. HAMAS' strength is concentrated in the Gaza Strip and areas of the West Bank.

HAMAS has a military wing known as the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades that has conducted many anti-Israel attacks in both Israel and the Palestinian territories since the 1990s. These attacks have included large-scale bombings against Israeli civilian targets, small-arms attacks, improvised roadside explosives, and rocket attacks.

The group in early 2006 won legislative elections in the Palestinian territories, ending the secular Fatah party's hold on the Palestinian Authority and challenging Fatah's leadership of the Palestinian nationalist movement. HAMAS continues to refuse to recognize or renounce violent resistance against Israel and in early 2008 conducted a suicide bombing, killing one civilian, as well as numerous rocket and mortar attacks that have injured civilians. The US Government has designated HAMAS a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

HAMAS in June 2008 entered into a six-month agreement with Israel that significantly reduced rocket attacks. Following the temporary calm, HAMAS resumed its rocket attacks, which precipitated a major Israeli military operation in late December 2008. After destroying much of HAMAS' infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, Israel declared a unilateral cease-fire on 18 January 2009.

HAMAS and Fatah in April 2011 agreed to form an interim government and hold elections, reaffirming this pledge in February 2012. HAMAS departed its long-time political headquarters in Damascus in February and dispersed throughout the region as Syrian President Bashar al-Asad's crackdown on opposition in the country made remaining in Syria untenable for the group. In May 2012, HAMAS claimed to have established a 300-strong force to prevent other Palestinian resistance groups from firing rockets into Israel. Conflict broke out again in November. While HAMAS had worked to maintain the cease-fire brokered by Egypt that ended the week-long conflict, other Palestinian militant groups flouted the cease-fire with sporadic rocket attacks throughout 2013 and 2014. Fatah and HAMAS in April 2014 agreed to form a technocratic unity government headed by PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and to hold legislative elections within six months. HAMAS has not renounced violent resistance against Israel even while pursuing reconciliation with Fatah.

In July 2014, the uneasy calm between HAMAS and Israel broke down completely after three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped and killed in the West Bank in June-deaths ascribed by Israel to HAMAS-and a Palestinian was killed by Israeli settlers in revenge. Retaliatory rocket attacks by HAMAS's military wing and other Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip escalated into the longest and most lethal conflict with Israel since 2009.
INFORMATION UPDATED AS OF JANUARY, 2014.

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National Counterterrorism Center | Groups

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BACKGROUND HAMAS formed in late 1987 at the beginning of the first Palestinian intifada (uprising). Its roots are in the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, and it is supported by a robust sociopolitical structure inside the Palestinian territories.

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El pasado 7 de octubre, más de 3.000 jóvenes asistían al Festival Tribe Nova de música electrónica que se celebraba muy cerca de la Franja de Gaza. Al amanecer, Hamás atacaba por sorpresa a Israel y penetraba en su territorio, sembrando el terror entre las personas que bailaban despreocupadas.

Lanzaron cohetes y se desplegaron por el lugar del festival, mientras disparaban a los jóvenes que huían despavoridos. El atentado se saldó en el festival con más de 300 muertos, cientos de heridos y 40 rehenes.

El festival que acabó en matanza

Maia e Itay acababan de regresar de México. Su padre, Reguev, fue a buscarles al aeropuerto. Ni siquiera pasaron por casa, cogieron el coche y condujeron en dirección sur hacia el festival de música Tribe Nova. Como ellos, más de tres mil jóvenes de varias nacionalidades se reunieron en el festival de música electrónica con ganas de disfrutar de unas horas de fiesta. "Llegamos y, al entrar, vimos una pista de baile enorme, preciosa", recuerda Shoval, una maestra de 23 años que acompañó a última hora a su novio, Tomer, dos años mayor que ella y que había montado un puesto de joyas artesanas en el festival. "Íbamos de celebración, íbamos a bailar para relajarnos", dice la ingeniera de 23 años, Racheli.

"¿Por qué nos acercamos tanto a Gaza?, ¿por qué lo hacen tan cerca de la frontera? "

Michal tiene 27 años y trabaja de veterinaria. Quedó con sus amigos para ir de fiesta al Nova y, cuando se iban acercando, recuerda que le preguntó extrañada a uno de ellos: "¿Por qué nos acercamos tanto a Gaza?, ¿por qué lo hacen tan cerca de la frontera?". "No te preocupes", le respondió el amigo, "es un evento asegurado, allí hay policía".

Lo mismo le ocurrió a Noam, un fotógrafo de 19 años que se gana la vida cubriendo los diferentes festivales con su cámara de fotos. "Es una de las fronteras más seguras del mundo. En el peor de los casos, si lanzan cohetes, tenemos la cúpula de hierro ", recuerda que pensó al ver la cercanía a la Franja.

Michal relata que empezó a grabar vídeos al amanecer, como a las seis de la mañana. En uno de ellos se puede ver cómo los jóvenes bailaban al ritmo de una música que iba calentando el ambiente solo minutos antes del momento en el que, "de repente, oímos explosiones", recuerda Tomer.

En otro vídeo se escucha a un joven tranquilizando a sus amigos: "No son más que efectos especiales, no hay por qué preocuparse". Pero Michal tiene muy presente que "veíamos los cohetes por encima de nuestras cabezas". Lo que hasta entonces había sido alegría, disfrute y felicidad, se iba a tornar en tragedia.

"Papá, nos van a matar"

"Nadie sabía qué estaba pasando", cuenta Racheli. Pero muchos comenzaron a intuir que algo grave sucedía cuando por megafonía dieron la alerta y la seguridad del festival les ordenaba a evacuar la zona. "Fue entonces cuando le mandé un mensaje a mi madre", prosigue la joven, "hay un ataque con misiles", le dije.

"Tío, hay terroristas por todas partes"

Shoval relata cómo todos corrían aterrados para ponerse a salvo cuando, cerca, "pasaron dos camionetas disparando a la gente". "Tío, hay terroristas por todas partes", se oye decir a un chico en uno de los vídeos del documental. Muy afectada, Michal rememora lo que sintió cuando "apareció una furgoneta y los terroristas bajaron y empezaron a dispararnos", mientas todos comenzaron a correr aterrorizados por el campo.

En un vídeo de los milicianos de Hamás, se escucha a uno de ellos gritar: "¡Alto ahí, quieto!, no te muevas". A continuación, se ve cómo disparan a un chico al lado de su coche. Los jóvenes estaban acorralados por los terroristas que tiroteaban indiscriminadamente a cualquiera que estuviera en el punto de mira de sus armas, según relata Racheli angustiada. Recuerda perfectamente que "la gente llamaba a sus padres para despedirse, otros al ejército o a la policía y estos no contestaban o les decían: salid como podáis, estáis en una zona de guerra ".

En una de sus desesperadas carreras, se oye a una joven gritar, "¿por qué no está aquí el ejército?, están tardando demasiado". Reguev, el padre de Maia y de Itay, se puso en marcha hacia el lugar del festival después de recibir este mensaje de sus hijos: "papá nos van a matar, nos van a matar".

"Era una masacre"

El sargento de la policía Hananya Benjamin recuerda, a su llegada al recinto del festival, los coches ardiendo a ambos lados de la carretera "y dentro de los coches o junto a ellos, cadáveres de jóvenes. Era una masacre". De los que se escondieron en los refugios de hormigón que hay junto a las paradas de autobús, apenas sobrevivió alguno, según asegura Racheli, porque los terroristas se asomaban y disparaban a todos los que allí se habían refugiado, unos encima de otros.

"Me tumbé en el suelo y me arrastré debajo de los muertos"

Ese fue el caso de Noam. "Me tumbé en el suelo y me arrastré debajo de los muertos", describe la dantesca imagen. "No me moví, tuve suerte porque pensaron que todos estábamos muertos". En el festival, Hamás asesinó a más de 300 personas, hubo cientos de heridos y los terroristas se llevaron a otros 40 jóvenes secuestrados a Gaza.

Este ataque, junto a los que los terroristas perpetraron en los kibutz cercanos, supuso el comienzo de la guerra entre Israel y Hamás. El 29 de febrero, un informe presentado por el alto comisionado Volker Türk ante el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU afirmó que estos ataques "fueron estremecedores y totalmente injustificables (...), pero también lo es la brutalidad de la respuesta israelí".

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El horror vivido por los asistentes al festival durante el ataque de Hamás: "Llamaban a sus padres para despedirse"

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El documental recoge las desgarradoras historias que vivieron los jóvenes durante el atentado con testimonios y grabaciones de las víctimas e imágenes de Hamás

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On October 7, 2023, thousands of Hamas terrorists breached Israel's security fence. Over 1,400 men, women, and children were murdered in the ensuing attack. More than 200 were kidnapped to Gaza. These graphic videos and images document the horrors of that day.

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Reportes de violaciones recrudecen criticas de Israel a la ONU

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https://x.com/enfoquejudio/status/1730187195347054696?t=q1cMOpQCTp6Q651oQnkYpg&s=08

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1. https://x.com/biannagolodryga/status/1732878088747257896?t=j6_0OmiqYqt2h6KtcHO9lw&s=08

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UNCUT INTERVIEW: Survivor of Hamas music festival attack describes terrifying escape

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Hamas hostages: Stories of the hostages taken by Hamas from Israel

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From elderly grandparents to young children, these are the people known to have been taken captive.

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Testigos comparten relatos brutales de violencia sexual durante el ataque del 7 de octubre