GENEVA — Human rights experts supported by the United Nations have levied serious accusations against Israel, asserting that it systematically uses sexual, reproductive, and other gender-based violence in its ongoing conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
These serious charges emerged in an expansive report, one of the most comprehensive to date concerning supposed violations during the conflict that began on October 7, 2023, following an attack by Hamas on southern Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the Human Rights Council, the U.N.-backed assembly responsible for organizing the investigation, dismissing it as an “anti-Israel circus” that has been repeatedly exposed as biased, antisemitic, and supporting terrorism. His criticisms, however, did not specifically address the report’s findings.
The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory crafted the report to meticulously document allegations and evidence, which could later serve as a foundation for legal actions in international courts, potentially aiding victims and their families in seeking justice.
The report, published Thursday, scrutinizes various destructive actions in Gaza, including the deployment of heavy weaponry in populated areas and Israeli military operations targeting hospitals and medical sites. The commission characterized these acts as leading to “disproportionate violence against women and children.”
Included in the commission’s findings are claims of multiple rights abuses against Palestinians of all genders and ages, with accusations against Israeli security for instances of rape and sexual assault of detainees. Israel, on its part, refutes claims of systematic abuses, stating it addresses misconduct if found.
Chris Sidoti, a commission member, stated that their findings indicate Israel increasingly employs gender-based violence against Palestinians as part of a larger strategy to undermine their pursuit of self-determination.
Israel’s representation in Geneva dismissed these claims, asserting the commission relied on unverified and unreliable sources. Israel has not participated with the commission since its formation in 2021, accusing it repeatedly of prejudice and misinformation.
Furthermore, Sidoti highlighted the commission’s assertion that Israel engaged in acts detrimental to the reproductive healthcare infrastructure, though the body refrained from labeling these as genocide, distancing itself from some rights groups’ harsher accusations.
Israel defends its military actions by emphasizing extensive measures to avoid civilian casualties during the 15-month conflict, attributing any harm to Hamas’s practice of embedding military operations within densely populated civilian locales. This includes allegations of Hamas using hospitals for military ends, claims that Palestinian health authorities refute.
The conflict erupted following a deadly attack by Hamas militants, killing about 1,200 individuals, primarily civilians, and capturing 251 hostages on October 7, 2023. In response, Israel attributes civilian harm to Hamas’s strategy of warfare in residential zones.
Israel also accuses Hamas militants of perpetrating sexual violence against civilians during the initial onslaught, supported by reports of abuse against hostages while in captivity. A U.N. official last year indicated there were credible arguments in support of such claims.
Israel’s military response has led to the death of over 48,000 Palestinians, primarily women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. They do not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths within these figures.
Public hearings were held on Tuesday and Wednesday, where testimonies from victims, legal representatives, and advocacy organizations were reviewed as part of the report development process.
The commission, however, did not focus on allegations of gender-based violence against Israelis from the October 7 attacks or violence endured by hostages in Gaza, their last report addressed these matters previously.
