There is clear and convincing information that hostages held in Gaza were sexually abused, according to a new United Nations report. The report suggests that the sexual violence may still be ongoing, highlighting the urgency of rescuing the hostages from Gaza. The report was compiled by the U.S. Special Envoy for Sexual Violence in Conflict, who spent two weeks gathering information from witnesses, including survivors of the October 6th attack by Hamas and released hostages.
The report states that rape was used as a weapon and that there are reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence occurred on October 7th. Despite Hamas denying these allegations as unfounded lies, the UN team faced challenges in conducting their investigation due to limited access and difficulties in obtaining forensic evidence.
In addition to the Gaza findings, the team also visited Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinian men and women who had been incarcerated made allegations of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. These allegations included beatings, threats of rape against women, and threats of rape against female family members of male prisoners.
The team has reached out to the IDF for comment on these allegations. This report is considered the most definitive account to date of the sexual violence experienced by hostages in Gaza and highlights the need for immediate action to address these grave human rights violations.
