'Clear evidence' sexual violence used in Oct 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, UN finds
An investigation by the United Nations has revealed there is "clear and convincing information" that hostages taken during the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel have been subjected to sexual violence, including rape and gang rape.
Led by Pramila Patten, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, the UN team concluded there are "reasonable grounds to believe" that conflict-related sexual violence took place in at least three locations in Southern Israel. The UN team identified a pattern of victims, most of them women, who were discovered fully or partially naked, bound and shot in multiple locations, which they concluded “may be indicative of some forms of sexual violence”.
The report stated the violence, which also included other “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”, could be ongoing against hostages still being held captive in the Gaza Strip.
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Burnt-out cars at the scene at the Supernova Music Festival site (Getty Images)It comes nearly five months after the October 7 attacks by Hamas militants in Israel, which left about 1,200 people dead and some 250 others taken hostage.
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Israel’s retaliation war against Hamas has since laid waste to the Gaza Strip, killing more than 30,000 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The UN says a quarter of Gaza’s 2.3 million population faces starvation.
The report detailed the UN mission's visit to Israel between January 29 and February 14 and "found clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape, sexualized torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment has been committed against hostages".
According to the UN team, these acts took place in multiple locations, including the Nova music festival site and its surroundings, Road 232, and Kibbutz Re'im.
Reports of sexual violence committed by Hamas emerged soon after the attacks and have continued to surface. The UN report spoke of efforts to verify these allegations, which included examining more than 5,000 photographic images and 50 hours of video footage. However, despite attempts to encourage victims of sexual violence to come forward, the team was unable to interview any.
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Israeli soldiers search for ID and belongings among the cars and tents on October 12 (Getty Images)While some allegations were deemed unfounded, the report emphasised a pattern of sexual violence against hostages, with concerns that such acts may still be ongoing against those in captivity.
Hamas has denied women were sexually assaulted by its gunmen during the attacks.
Reports of sexual violence against Palestinians in Israeli custody were also mentioned, although instances of rape were not reported. Israel has welcomed the UN's acknowledgement of Hamas's involvement in sexual crimes but has rejected claims of similar misconduct by Israeli forces.
Cars and belongings left at the Supernova Festival site where hundreds were killed (Getty Images)
In response to the report, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticised the UN for not convening the Security Council to address the findings and has recalled the country's ambassador for consultations. Lior Haiat, a spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry also rejected claims of sexual crimes by the Israeli soldiers against Palestinians.
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Haiat said: "That is a derisive and deliberate Palestinian manoeuvre aimed at creating an intolerable equivalence between the horrific crimes that were committed, and continue to be committed, by Hamas and malicious and baseless claims made against Israel and Israelis."
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