“There is no escape from the conclusion that Israel has employed sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians to terrorise them and perpetuate a system of oppression that undermines their right to self-determination.”
A new report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry accuses Israel of employing systematic sexual, reproductive, and gender-based violence against Palestinians as part of a broader strategy to undermine their right to self-determination. The report states that Israel has committed genocidal acts through the destruction of reproductive healthcare facilities, the imposition of a siege, and the denial of humanitarian aid.
Key Findings:
➤ Sexual and Gender-Based Violence as a Strategy of War:
➝ Israeli security forces allegedly force public stripping, sexual harassment, threats of rape, and sexual assault as standard procedures against Palestinians.
➝ Rape and genital violence were reportedly committed under explicit orders or implicit encouragement from Israeli leadership.
➝ Israeli settlers in the West Bank allegedly use sexual violence to terrorize and displace Palestinian communities, with impunity.
➤ Destruction of Reproductive Healthcare and Genocidal Acts:
➝ Israeli forces have systematically destroyed sexual and reproductive healthcare facilities in Gaza, including maternity wards and the main in-vitro fertility clinic.
➝ Israel’s blockade and prevention of medical supplies have resulted in women and girls dying from pregnancy and childbirth complications, an act classified as extermination under international law.
➝ These acts meet two categories of genocidal crimes under the Rome Statute and Genocide Convention:
➝ Deliberately inflicting conditions of life to bring about physical destruction.
➝ Imposing measures intended to prevent births among Palestinians.
➤ Mass Civilian Deaths and Targeting of Women and Girls:
➝ Israel’s bombing of residential buildings and use of heavy explosives in densely populated areas have led to an unprecedented rise in female fatalities.
➝ Women, girls, and maternity patients have been deliberately targeted, acts the report classifies as crimes against humanity (murder) and war crimes (willful killing)
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