Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D–NY) is walking back some of his inflammatory rhetoric about the accusations of sexual assault during Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks. At a rally after the attack on Israel, which claimed the lives of more than 1,100 people, Bowman accused Israel of fabricating details, including that babies were beheaded and victims were raped.
“There was propaganda used in the beginning of the siege,” Bowman said, according to a video posted to TikTok on Nov. 17. “There’s still no evidence of beheaded babies or raped women, but they still keep using that lie [for] propaganda.”
When questioned by a Politico reporter on Thursday outside the House floor, Bowman refused to talk about it. He addressed the matter in a statement to the outlet in which he backtracked his allegations.
“As I said at this rally, what Hamas did on October 7th is a war crime and they must release all the hostages,” Bowman said in the statement. “The UN confirmed that Hamas committed rape and sexual violence, a reprehensible fact that I condemn entirely. I also voted yes on Resolution 966, which officially condemns the rape and sexual violence committed by Hamas. So let me be clear, and ensure my words are not twisted: I always stand against sexual violence in all forms and stand for peace for all.”
The Israeli military has been adamant about the fact these incidents occurred, and on Oct. 16, 2023, the government showed dozens of reporters a 43-minute video of the attacks in which children were murdered. IDF Maj. Gen. Mickey Edelstein, who briefed the reporters after the viewing, said authorities had evidence of rape.
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On Nov. 14, 150 U.S. lawmakers attended a screening of footage from the Oct. 7 attacks. It is uncertain if Bowman was in attendance. A United Nations envoy report published on March 5 found there were “reasonable grounds to believe that multiple incidents of sexual violence took place with victims being subjected to rape and/or gang rape and then killed or killed while being raped.” Physicians for Human Rights Israel also published a paper last November highlighting the “sexual and gender-based violence” that day.
Bowman’s criticism of Israel has lost him the support of J Street — a pro-Jewish lobbying group. Additionally, AIPAC has pledged to spend tens of millions of dollars to undermine pro-Palestinian candidates such as Bowman, and he faces a strong challenger in George Latimer for his seat.
