By Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. envoy specializing in sexual violence in battle stated in a brand new report Monday that there are “reasonable grounds” to consider Hamas dedicated rape, “sexualized torture,” and different merciless and inhumane therapy of girls throughout its shock assault in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
There are additionally “reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing,” stated Pramila Patten, who visited Israel and the West Bank from Jan. 29 to Feb. 14 with a nine-member workforce. In the report, she stated the workforce “found clear and convincing information” that some hostages have been subjected to the identical types of conflict-related sexual violence together with rape and “sexualized torture.”
The report comes almost 5 months after the Oct. 7 assaults, which left about 1,200 folks lifeless and a few 250 others taken hostage. Israel’s conflict towards Hamas has since laid waste to the Gaza Strip, killing greater than 30,000 folks, based on Gaza’s Health Ministry. The U.N. says 1 / 4 of Gaza’s 2.3 million folks face hunger.
Hamas, which has been designated as a terrorist group by the United States, Canada and the European Union, has rejected earlier allegations that its fighters dedicated sexual assault.
Patten’s report stated the workforce’s go to “was neither intended nor mandated to be investigative in nature.”
She stated the workforce was not capable of meet with any victims of sexual violence “despite concerted efforts to encourage them to come forward.” However, workforce members held 33 conferences with Israeli establishments and performed interviews with 34 folks together with survivors and witnesses of the Oct. 7 assaults, launched hostages, well being suppliers and others.
Based on the knowledge it gathered, Patten stated, “there are reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence occurred during the 7 October attacks in multiple locations across Gaza periphery, including rape and gang rape, in at least three locations.”
Across numerous areas, she stated, the workforce discovered “that several fully naked or partially naked bodies from the waist down were recovered – mostly women – with hands tied and shot multiple times, often in the head.”
While that is circumstantial, she stated the sample of undressing and restraining victims “may be indicative of some forms of sexual violence.”
At the Nova music pageant and its environment, Patten stated, “there are reasonable grounds to believe that multiple incidents of sexual violence took place with victims being subjected to rape and/or gang rape and then killed or killed while being raped.”
On Road 232 — the highway to depart the pageant — “credible information based on witness accounts describe an incident of the rape of two women by armed elements,” Patten stated. Other reported rapes couldn’t be verified throughout their time in Israel.
But she stated “the mission team also found a pattern of bound naked or partially naked bodies from the waist down, in some cases tied to structures including trees and poles, along Road 232.”
Patten stated that in kibbutz Reim, the mission workforce verified the rape of a girl outdoors a bomb shelter and heard of different allegations of rape that might not but be verified.
At Kibbutz Be’eri, Patten stated, her workforce “was able to determine that at least two allegations of sexual violence widely repeated in the media, were unfounded due to either new superseding information or inconsistency in the facts gathered.”
These included a extremely publicized allegation {that a} pregnant lady’s womb was reportedly ripped open earlier than being killed along with her fetus stabbed inside her, Patten stated.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”