Hamas has denied this Tuesday that its fighters carried out crimes of sexual violence and abuse against women during the attacks on October 7, after the United Nations yesterday published its report on this issue, which found “a reasonable basis” for those crimes. “We strongly reject the report published by UN official Patten. “His report, which does not provide any testimony, is based on Israeli institutions, soldiers and witnesses chosen by the occupation authorities to prove this false accusation,” Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by both Israel and other countries, said in a statement today. the European Union.
“The report comes after failed Zionist attempts to prove these baseless false accusations, and cover up the United Nations rapporteurs’ report with conclusive evidence that clear human rights violations occurred against Palestinian women and girls by soldiers.” Zionists,” Hamas asserted.
The report, by the United Nations special representative on sexual violence in conflict, Pramila Patten, points out that there is “a reasonable basis” to believe that there were violations in the October 7 attack, as well as “clear and convincing” that some hostages were raped. The UN mission headed by Patten visited Israel and the West Bank in early February to look for evidence that would allow it to prepare this report, although it has acknowledged its inability to interview victims because the Israeli government told them that many of them remain traumatized and under treatment.
In this sense, Hamas considers that the report “has no validity” because it does not provide the testimony of any of the considered victims and recalls that some of the women released, during the truce that was sealed last November, claimed to have received ” good treatment” by his fighters during his captivity in Gaza. However, last January Israeli women, who were captives of Hamas, assured a committee of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) that those who remain captives in the Strip suffer sexual abuse by the Palestinian Islamist group, something that they had already experienced. denouncing Israeli feminist organizations.
Also this Tuesday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog called on the world to “strongly condemn and punish” Hamas’ crimes of sexual violence after learning of the conclusions of the UN mission. “Hamas and its allies are trying to discredit the report, to escape this horrible shame. They will not succeed, since the testimonies are really shocking,” said Herzog.
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