The UN special representative responsible for sexual violence in times of conflict began a visit on Monday to Israel, which accuses Hamas of increasing it during the October 7 attack.
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Accusations of rape, sexual violence, genital mutilation, pedophilia and necrophilia have been raised in recent weeks against commandos of the Palestinian Islamist movement during the attack on southern Israel on October 7th.
These accusations, rejected by Hamas, are supported by an increasing number of testimonies, confirmed in particular by an in-depth investigation by the New York Times at the end of December.
Israel accused international organizations that promote women's rights and the United Nations of responding inadequately and late to these allegations.
Pramila Patten's visit comes in a context in which “the United Nations bodies (…) ignore the reports of the horrific cases that have been discovered,” Israel's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
During her visit, Ms. Patten is expected to “meet with survivors, witnesses, health professionals, and representatives of police and other security forces to collect evidence of sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas against women and men during the October attack.” “, the text continues.
Lawyer Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, former chair of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (Cedaw), was interviewed by AFP in December and deplored the hesitation and slowness of Cedaw and the UN women's agency to condemn their violence.
None of these organizations “mentioned that sexual violence against women (on October 7) was systematic, premeditated and premeditated, which (…) amounted to the use of rape as a weapon of war,” Ms. Halperin-Kaddari had told AFP.