[kazinator]

Was it premeditated weaponization of sexual violence as a tool of war?

The comment you replying to is not denying that it happened.

What if the weaponization accusation is just an embellishment added to suit a political narrative? Establishing its truth does require evidence, separately from the evidence of the violence itself.

That's even if we happened to find the narrative morally prevailing.

[jazzyjackson]

I have no idea what difference it makes if the rape was premeditated. The strategy employed by Hamas was to terrorize. You think Gaza should be invaded less harshly because her soldiers decided to rape in the heat of the moment?

[kazinator]

The difference it makes is that if it is a strategy, it comes down from higher command, and isn't merely individual misconduct.

[spookie]

Yeah, OP doesn't say they didn't happen.

Regardless of their initial intentions, I find it difficult to argue that these acts haven't served as a tool of war.

One must also acknowledge these acts were not isolated. I do not have concrete proof, maybe there is some out there, but the fact of the matter is that scale and their psychological effects are undeniable.