UN experts accuse Israel of 'genocidal acts' and sexual violence as a war strategy in Gaza

A recent United Nations report on the Gaza war accuses Israel of committing "acts of genocide" and using sexual violence as part of its strategy in Gaza. The report has sparked widespread international concern and exacerbated tensions between Israel and international organizations.

The panel of experts emphasized that the destruction of Gaza's main IVF clinic, attacks on obstetric and gynecological health facilities throughout the region, and restrictions on the supply of medicines could all serve as evidence of crimes against humanity. The report also noted that evidence and testimony had been received regarding the rape and sexual assault of Palestinians during the war.

The report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, states that Israeli authorities have partially destroyed the reproductive capacity of Palestinians in Gaza, including taking measures aimed at preventing births, which falls within the scope of acts of genocide under the Rome Statute and the Genocide Convention. The report further emphasizes that the harm suffered by pregnant women, lactating women, and new mothers in Gaza has reached unprecedented levels, and the lack of sexual and reproductive health services has caused immediate physical and mental harm and suffering to women and girls, which will have irreversible long-term effects on the mental health, physical reproduction, and fertility prospects of Palestinians in Gaza.

The commission stated that since the beginning of the war, there has been a significant increase in sexual and gender-based crimes committed by Israeli forces against Palestinians, with the aim of retaliation and collective punishment in response to the deadly attacks launched by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023. The report also pointed out that Palestinian men and boys have been subjected to specific acts of persecution aimed at collectively punishing them. The manner in which these sexual acts were carried out, including filming, photographing, and disseminating them online, indicates that forced public stripping and nudity, as well as sexual abuse and torture, are part of a persecution aimed at punishing, humiliating, and intimidating Palestinian men and boys to force them into submission.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly rejected these accusations, calling them false, biased, and anti-Semitic. He condemned the UN for publishing these allegations and called the UN Human Rights Council an anti-Semitic, corrupt, and irrelevant organization that supports terrorism. Netanyahu stated that Israel's decision to withdraw from the organization was the right one, and emphasized that the UN has not focused on the crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by Hamas against the Jewish people, but instead chooses to attack Israel with false accusations, including unfounded allegations of sexual violence.

The UN report notes that the pervasiveness of this behavior suggests that sexual violence is part of the standard operating procedure of Israeli security forces against Palestinians. However, the Israeli mission to the UN in Geneva said in a statement that the Israeli Defense Forces have clear instructions, procedures, orders and policies that explicitly prohibit such misconduct. The UN also highlighted the shelling of the Al-Basma IVF center in December 2023, which resulted in the destruction of 4,000 embryos, 1,000 sperm samples and unfertilized eggs. The report noted that the facility served approximately 2,000 to 3,000 patients per month, and the commission found no evidence that the IVF clinic was a legitimate military target when it was attacked by the Israeli Defense Forces. The commission therefore concluded that the destruction of the Basma IVF clinic was intended to prevent births of Palestinians in Gaza, which constitutes an act of genocide under the Rome Statute and the Genocide Convention, and that it was done to destroy Palestinians in Gaza in whole or in part, which is the only reasonable inference that can be drawn from the relevant conduct.

Investigative testimonies on the treatment of Palestinian prisoners and detainees include vivid descriptions of sexual assault. The report stated that male detainees reported that Israeli security forces personnel beat, kicked, pulled, or squeezed their genitals, often while they were naked. The commission verified four such cases. In some cases, Israeli security forces personnel used objects such as metal detectors and batons to beat them while they were naked. In one of the cases cited, the abuse suffered by one of the Palestinians led to five Israeli soldiers being charged.

Israel's mission to the UN in Geneva accused the investigative body of using sexual violence to "advance" its agenda and expressed doubt about the authenticity of the evidence presented. The mission said in a statement that in a shameless attempt to accuse the Israeli Defense Forces and create the false impression of "systematic" use of sexual and gender-based violence, the investigative body deliberately lowered the level of corroboration in the report, which allowed it to include information from second-hand, single, uncorroborated sources. This means that the Israeli army is subject to completely different standards than any other actor, and any uncorroborated information that supports the investigative body's pre-determined narrative is considered credible, even if it is not verified. In fact, the investigative body applied different standards in its June 2024 findings on Hamas's use of sexual violence on October 7, submitting only verified information. Israel is a signatory to the International Genocide Convention, but not to the Rome Statute, which recognizes the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court over allegations of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.