A United Nations panel said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe Hamas raped and tortured women during an attack on Israel on October 7 and that hostages were subjected to the same violence.
Pramila Patten, the United Nations special envoy on sexual violence in conflict, said: “There are reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence occurred in multiple locations around Gaza during the attacks on 7 October, including in at least three “Rape and gang rape occurred at the location.”
She said there were also “reasonable reasons to believe this violence may be ongoing”.
She said that based on first-hand accounts of freed hostages, the team “uncovered clear and compelling information” that some women and children suffered the same conflict-related sexual violence while in captivity, including rape and ” Sexual torture”.
From January 29 to February 14, Patten led a nine-member technical team to visit Israel and the West Bank.
The report comes nearly five months after the attacks, which killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostage. Israel’s war against Hamas has left the Gaza Strip in ruins and killed more than 30,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The United Nations says a quarter of Gaza’s 2.3 million people face hunger.
Hamas has denied previous accusations that its fighters carried out sexual assaults.
At a press conference to launch the report on Monday, Patten said the team’s visit was not to investigate allegations of sexual violence but to collect, analyze and verify Secretary-General António Guterres’ annual report on sexual violence in conflict and information on United Nations security matters. Council.
Her main recommendation was to encourage Israel to allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry into the Palestinian Territories and Israel to “conduct a full investigation into the alleged violations.”
She said the team had been unable to meet with any victims of sexual violence “despite our concerted efforts to encourage them to come forward”.
While the number of victims remains unclear, she said, “a small number of those receiving treatment are reportedly experiencing severe mental distress and trauma.”
Members of her team held 33 meetings with Israeli agencies and conducted interviews with 34 people, including survivors and witnesses of the October attack, freed hostages, medical providers and others.
Patten said that in and around Nova Music Festival, “there are reasonable grounds to believe that a number of incidents of sexual violence occurred in which the victims were raped and/or gang-raped and then killed or killed while being raped.”
She emphasized that “the true incidence of sexual violence during attacks and their consequences may take months or years to emerge and may never be fully understood.”
Separately, the head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said hundreds of Palestinians detained by Israel after the Oct. 7 attack reported a variety of abuses, from having their naked bodies photographed to being threatened with electrocution.
Phillipe Lazzarini told a news conference that his agency, UNRWA, had compiled an unpublished internal report based on information from detainees who had returned to Gaza, who ” Completely traumatized by this ordeal.”
Additional reporting by The Associated Press
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