UN releases shocking report against Israel: Sexual violence in Gaza as strategy, birth prevention as genocide

A United Nations panel issued a provocative report on Thursday, alleging that Israel employed sexual violence and disrupted births in Gaza as part of its military operations, claims it labeled as genocidal. Israel forcefully denied the accusations, asserting that the findings lack credibility and rely on unverified sources, deepening a contentious debate over the war’s conduct.

The report comes from the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, created in 2021 by the Human Rights Council to investigate the region, including East Jerusalem and Israel. It contends that Israeli actions—such as strikes on an IVF facility and reduced medical access leading to higher maternal deaths—hindered Palestinian reproduction, meeting criteria for genocide under international treaties like the Rome Statute. The panel also alleges that Israeli soldiers engaged in public stripping and sexual misconduct against Palestinians as routine measures following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.

Israel’s rebuttal was immediate and firm. “These claims are baseless,” said a spokesperson for its U.N. delegation in Geneva. “The IDF adheres to strict protocols that prohibit such actions.” The statement criticized the commission for using “unreliable second-hand accounts” and a “lower verification standard,” arguing that the methodology falls short of U.N. norms. Israeli officials emphasized that their military targets Hamas—a group responsible for the October 7 assault that killed over 1,200 people and took 250 hostages—not civilians.

The report arrives amid Israel’s ongoing campaign in Gaza, launched to dismantle Hamas after its deadly incursion into southern Israel. That attack, which included documented acts of sexual violence and torture against Israeli civilians, was addressed in a prior June 2024 report by the same U.N. panel. That earlier findings highlighted “serious violations” by Hamas and other Palestinian factions, a point Israel has cited to question the commission’s consistency. The country and its allies have long faulted international bodies for overlooking those atrocities, a critique echoed in Thursday’s response.

Ynet contributed to this article.