OAN’s Brooke Mallory
2:20 PM – Monday, March 4, 2024
According to a team of United Nations (UN) delegates, during the Hamas’ October 7th attack on Israel, there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that the terrorist group committed sexual violence, including rape and gang-rape.
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The report also claims to have discovered solid evidence supporting the assertion that sexual assault against Israeli hostages in Gaza has occurred and may still be occurring.
The delegation, headed by UN special envoy Pramila Patten for sexual violence in conflict, traveled to Israel from January 29th to February 14th with the goal of compiling, examining, and confirming data on sexual assault related to October 7th.
“Credible circumstantial information, which may be indicative of some forms of sexual violence, including genital mutilation, sexualized torture, or cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, was also gathered,” the 24-page UN report states.
On October 7, thousands of Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, killing at least 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages, most of whom were civilians and many of whom were subjected to horrifying acts of violence.
“The mission team found clear and convincing information that some hostages taken to Gaza have been subjected to various forms of conflict-related sexual violence and has reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing,” the UN report says.
According to the report, a “fully-fledged investigation” will be necessary to determine the precise attribution, extent, and total size of the instances of sexual violence.
Following October 7th, the UN team claims to have also received evidence regarding “sexual violence against Palestinian men and women in [Israeli] detention settings, during house raids, and at checkpoints” from institutional and civil society sources in addition to direct interviews.
They continued, claiming that after bringing up the accusations with Israel’s Ministry of Justice and Military Advocate General, the UN group was purportedly informed that there had been no reports of sexual assault against Israeli Defense Force (IDF) personnel.
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