United Nations report accuses Israel of sexual violence against Palestinians; Benjamin Netanyahu claims anti-Israel bias
The Hindu
UN experts accuse Israel of gender-based violence in Gaza war, sparking backlash from Israeli PM and potential ICC involvement.
United Nations-backed (UN) human rights experts on Thursday (March 13, 2025) accused Israel of "the systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other gender-based violence" in its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The allegations came in one of the most extensive reports of its kind on the issue since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel ignited the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at the Human Rights Council, a UN-backed body that commissioned the team of independent experts, as an "anti-Israel circus" that "has long been exposed as an anti-semitic, rotten, terrorist-supporting, and irrelevant body." His statement did not address the findings themselves.
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The findings by the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which seeks to document in minute detail the allegations and evidence of crimes to bolster accountability for perpetrators, could be used by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court or in other jurisdictions to try to bring justice to victims and their relatives.
In its report released on Thursday (March 13, 2025), the Commission examined the widespread destruction of Gaza, the use of heavy explosives in civilian areas and Israeli attacks on hospitals and health facilities. It said all three led to “disproportionate violence against women and children.”
The Commission documented a range of violations perpetrated against Palestinian women, men, girls and boys and accused Israeli security forces of rape and sexual violence against Palestinian detainees. Israel denies any systematic abuse of prisoners and says it takes action when there are violations.
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