UN experts accuse Israel of sexual violence against Palestinians

United Nations experts on Thursday accused Israel of using sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians during the conflict in Gaza.

In a report commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council, it accused the Israeli state of using sexual violence as a war strategy.

It alleges that this broad range of violations against Palestinian women, men, boys, and girls has taken place since Hamas 7 October 2023 on Israel triggered the Gaza war.

Chris Sidoti, a member of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said Israel has increasingly employed sexual, reproductive, and other forms of gender-based violence against Palestinians.

“It also concludes that Israel has carried out genocidal acts through the systematic destruction of sexual and reproductive healthcare facilities,” he said.

These, he said, amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, adding that Israel had obstructed the commission's investigations.

Israel has rejected the accusations describing them as biased and anti-semitic. It accuses the Commission of Inquiry of relying on “second-hand, single, uncorroborated sources”.

The three commissioners, however, said the report was based on the testimonies of victims and witnesses of the sexual and reproductive violence, some of whom spoke during hearings in Geneva this week.

They said they also used verified photos and video footage, as well as information from various civil society and women’s rights groups.

The report also accused Israeli security forces of rape and sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners.  

Israel denies any systematic abuse of detainees and said that it has taken actions when there have been violations.

Hamas says the report by the human rights experts is “confirmation of the severity of the crimes” committed by Israel against Palestinians.

The Commission’s findings can be used as evidence in the International Criminal Court (ICC) or other bodies seeking to prosecute Israel for war crimes.

The ICC has already issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant.

They have both denied accusations of committing war crimes in Gaza.

The court also issued a warrant for Hamas’s military leader, but the militants have since confirmed that he has been killed.