DFL State Sen. Mary Kunesh, who represents parts of Fridley, New Brighton, St. Anthony, and Spring Lake Park, apologized for denying that rape and sexual violence was part of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
“Part of our discussion focused on both the horrific terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, as well as the devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza and significant loss of life that has occurred there as part of Israel’s response to the attack. I recognize that a statement I made during that interview minimized the way that sexual violence was used as a weapon by Hamas against innocent Israelis last October,” Kunesh wrote in a statement shared by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas.
“I have since learned from reliable and expert sources the awful reality about what happened on that day, and that this brutality has in fact been well documented. In no way should I have dismissed it, and I regret doing so. As a wise person recently said, we can’t exchange or negate one group’s pain for another. We are all hurting, far and near.”
On the Native Roots Radio: I’m Awake Podcast episode of Friday, Sept. 13 (16:50 into the show), Kunesh was asked about Vice President Kamala Harris’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in August, where Harris advocated for hostages to be returned home and a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Kunesh was asked if that was enough for her.
“[Harris] did make a comment about what happened in October. And she made a statement that has been debunked. And that is that when Hamas took over, that they killed and raped and, you know, took hostages,” Kunesh told host Robert Pilot. “But the truth of the matter is, rape was not a part of that at all. There was a person who saw a young woman, and her pants were down, and he made that assumption, and spoke to media like that, and they just ran with it. And that whole part about that they…I mean, the whole thing is absolutely horrific. It’s terrible. You know, you cannot say anything in support of what Hamas did. But for somebody of her status to continue to say something that actually is not true is really… It’s really hard for me to hear her say that again.”
A volunteer from ZAKA, a volunteer search and rescue organization thought sexual violence had occurred based on what he had seen of bodies that were recovered, but was incorrect in that instance.
However, the Associated Press reported that the United Nations envoy that focuses on sexual violence in conflict said that there were “‘reasonable grounds’ to believe Hamas committed rape, ‘sexualized torture,’ and other cruel and inhumane treatment of women.” when it attacked Israel on Oct. 7. There were also reports of eyewitness accounts of and detailed reporting of sexual violence of women. In June, a male Oct. 7 survivor detailed his rape by Hamas at the Nova Music Festival site.
“The fallout of the war in Gaza and the impact of that conflict has hit us all in different ways in Minnesota, across the country, and across the world,” Kunesh said. “And, as the anniversary of October 7 fast approaches, I recognize that innocent people paid a horrible price that day, and every day since.”
In its statement, the JCRC said it leaned on Judaism to forgive Kunesh and accept her apology.
“While the initial comments made by Sen. Kunesh were profoundly wrong, Jewish tradition and values compel us to accept and forgive anyone who offers sincere words of regret. Such acts of teshuvah are especially timely in these days leading up to our High Holidays, in which we strive to not just repair our relationship with G-d, but with each other,” the statement said. “In our conversation with Sen. Kunesh and through her letter, we believe that the Senator is both regretful and now accepts as fact the well-documented acts of sexual violence committed by Hamas.”
In the legislature, Kunesh is the chair of the Education Finance Committee, and sits on the Agriculture, Broadband, and Rural Development, Education Policy, and Environment, Climate, and Legacy committees.
Kunesh was the lead author of SF 1476, the Senate bill that helped pave the way for an ethnic studies mandate in Minnesota schools starting in 2026. The Ethnic Studies Working Group, which will be responsible for developing an Ethnic Studies framework and resources to support school districts and charters in implementing the Ethnic Studies requirements by the start of the 2026-27 school year.
