UN envoy says 'reasonable grounds' to believe Hamas committed sexual violence on Oct 7
Hamas committed rape, «sexualized torture,» and other cruel and inhumane treatment of women during its surprise attack in southern Israel on October 7.
There are also «reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing,» said Pramila Patten, who visited Israel and the West Bank from January 29 to February 14 with a nine-member technical team.
Based on first-hand accounts of released hostages, she said the team «found clear and convincing information» that some women and children during their captivity were subjected to the same conflict-related sexual violence including rape and «sexualized torture.»
The report comes nearly five months after the October 7 attacks, which left about 1,200 people dead and some 250 others taken hostage. Israel's 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 people face starvation.
Hamas has rejected earlier allegations that its fighters committed sexual assault.
Patten stressed at a press conference launching the report that the team's visit was not to investigate allegations of sexual violence but to gather, analyze and verify information for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' annual report on sexual violence in conflict and for the UN Security Council.
Her key recommendation is to encourage Israel to grant access to the UN human rights chief and the Independent International
