(Daily Mail) Hamas‘s October 7 terror attack on Israel did involve rape and sexual violence, a new report from the United Nations has concluded.
Based on a range of evidence, the international organisation said there was ‘clear and convincing’ information to show conflict-related sexual violence was committed by members of the Palestinian terror group – including rape and gang rape.
It said such attacks were carried out in at least three locations across southern Israel, including the Nova music festival, the site of one of several October 7 massacres.
Pramila Patten, the UN envoy focusing on sexual violence in conflict, also detailed witness accounts of two incidents involving the rape of women’s corpses.
However, the UN report – released on Monday – also said some accounts that were widely reported in the aftermath of last year’s attacks were ‘unfounded’.
The organisation said one unverified account was the highly-publicised allegation that a pregnant woman’s womb was cut open and her fetus stabbed.
The report also said the UN had been unable to verify allegations of rape at a military base, or that Hamas terrorists mutilated Israeli soldiers’ genitals.
Hamas ‘s October 7 terror attack on Israel did involve rape and sexual violence, a new report from the United Nations has concluded. Pictured: An Israeli soldier walks through items left by fleeing festival goers at the site of the Nova music festival, October 12
Based on a range of evidence, the UN said there was clear and convincing’ information to show conflict-related sexual violence was committed by members of the Palestinian terror group – including rape and gang rape. Pictured: IDF troops patrol Kibbutz Be’eri on October 11
Pramila Patten, the UN envoy focusing on sexual violence in conflict, detailed witness accounts of two incidents involving the rape of women’s corpses
In addition to its findings relating to the October 7 attack, Patten also said her team ‘found clear and convincing information’ that some women and children during their captivity were subjected to the same conflict-related sexual violence.
This included rape and ‘sexualized torture’ she said.
This evidence was based on first-hand accounts of released hostages, she said, adding there are ‘reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing’.
Patten visited Israel and the West Bank from January 29 to February 14 with a nine-member technical team.
The report comes nearly five months after the Oct. 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, analyse 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 Commission of Inquiry on the Palestinian territories and Israel ‘to carry out full-fledged investigations into the alleged violations’ – and she expressed hope the Security Council would do this.
Patten said the team was not able to meet with any victims of sexual violence ‘despite concerted efforts to encourage them to come forward.’
While the number of victims remains unknown, she said, ‘a small number of those who are undergoing treatment are reportedly experiencing severe mental distress and trauma.’
However, team members held 33 meetings with Israeli institutions and conducted interviews with 34 people including survivors and witnesses of the October 7 attacks, released hostages, health providers and others.
At the Nova music festival and nearby, UN envoy Patten said, ‘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’
Based on the information it gathered, Patten said, ‘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 various locations, she said, the team found ‘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 this is circumstantial, she said the pattern of undressing and restraining victims ‘may be indicative of some forms of sexual violence.’
At the Nova music festival and nearby, Patten said, ‘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.’
‘There are further accounts of individuals who witnessed at least two incidents of rape of corpses of women,’ Patten said.
‘Other credible sources at the Nova music festival site described seeing multiple murdered individuals, mostly women, whose bodies were found naked from the waist down, some totally naked,’ some shot in the head, some tied to trees or poles with their hands bound.
On Road 232, the road out of Nova, ‘credible information based on witness accounts describe an incident of the rape of two women by armed elements,’ Patten said.
Other reported rapes and gang rapes couldn’t be verified and require investigation.
‘Along this road, several bodies were found with genital injuries, along with injuries to other body parts,’ she said. ‘Discernible patterns of genital mutilation could not be verified at this time but warrant future investigation.’
She said ‘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.’
People fleeing the Nova music festival also attempted to escape south and sought shelter in and around kibbutz Reim where Patten said there are ‘reasonable grounds’ to believe sexual violence occurred.
The mission team verified the rape of a woman outside a bomb shelter and heard of other allegations of rape that could not yet be verified.
Festival goers are seen fleeing the site of the Nova music festival on October 7
Pictures show a queue of cars leading away from the Nova music festival on October 7
Pictured: A Hamas gunman is seen outside Kibbutz Be’eri during the October 7 attack
Several Hamas gunmen are seen in Israel during the October 7 attack
However, the UN report also said some allegations were ‘unfounded’.
At Kibbutz Be’eri, Patten said, her team ‘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 highly publicized allegation that a pregnant woman’s womb was reportedly ripped open before being killed with her fetus stabbed inside her, Patten said.
Another was ‘the interpretation initially made of the body of a girl found separated from the rest of her family, naked from the waist down,’ she said.
‘It was determined by the mission team that the crime scene had been altered by a bomb squad and the bodies moved, explaining the separation of the body of the girl from the rest of her family.’
Patten said further investigation is needed of allegations, including of bodies found naked and in one case gagged, at kibbutz Be’eri to determine if sexual violence occurred.
At Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Patten said, verification of sexual violence was not possible.
But she said ‘available circumstantial information – notably the recurring pattern of female victims found undressed, bound, and shot – indicates that sexual violence, including potential sexualised torture, or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, may have occurred.’
But she said ‘available circumstantial information – notably the recurring pattern of female victims found undressed, bound, and shot – indicates that sexual violence, including potential sexuality torture, or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, may have occurred.’
Patten stressed that ‘the true prevalence of sexual violence during the October 7 attacks and their aftermath may take months or years to emerge and may never be fully known.’
Patten said the team, which also visited the West Bank, received information from institutional and civil society sources as well as through interviews ‘about some forms of sexual violence against Palestinian men and women in detention settings, during house raids and at checkpoints.’
This image from video provided by South First Responders shows charred and damaged cars along a desert road after an attack by Hamas militants at theNova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im in southern Israel on Saturday, October 7, 2023
