UN experts allege Israel committed genocidal acts and sexual violence in Gaza
UN experts have claimed that Israel is engaged in acts of genocide and sexual violence in Gaza.
TroibNews 
A new report from United Nations experts on Thursday accused Israel of committing "genocidal acts" against Palestinians by systematically dismantling women's healthcare facilities during the conflict in Gaza, and using sexual violence as a tactic of war.
Israel's permanent mission to the UN in Geneva refuted the claims made in the report, stating they are unfounded, biased, and lack credibility.
"Israeli authorities have destroyed in part the reproductive capacity of the Palestinians in Gaza as a group, including by imposing measures intended to prevent births, one of the categories of genocidal acts in the Rome Statute and the Genocide Convention," said the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
The commission further asserted that these actions, alongside a rise in maternal mortality due to limited access to medical supplies, constituted the crime against humanity of extermination.
The report accused Israel's security forces of implementing forced public stripping and sexual assault as part of their standard procedures to punish Palestinians following the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel in October 2023.
In response, Israel dismissed the allegations.
"The IDF has concrete directives . . . and policies which unequivocally prohibit such misconduct," the permanent mission stated, noting that its review processes meet international standards.
A prior report released by the Commission in June 2024 had also accused Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups of serious human rights violations during their October 7, 2023, attack, which included acts of torture and degrading treatment.
Israel is a party to the Genocide Convention and was directed by the International Court of Justice in January 2024 to take steps to prevent acts of genocide during the ongoing war against Hamas.
However, Israel is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, which empowers the International Criminal Court to adjudicate on individual cases of genocide and crimes against humanity.
South Africa has initiated a genocide case against Israel regarding its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.
The conflict escalated on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a cross-border attack into southern Israel, triggering a devastating war in the Gaza Strip that has resulted in over 48,000 Palestinian deaths, according to health officials in Gaza. Israeli sources report that 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage during the assault by Hamas militants.
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
Israel's permanent mission to the UN in Geneva refuted the claims made in the report, stating they are unfounded, biased, and lack credibility.
"Israeli authorities have destroyed in part the reproductive capacity of the Palestinians in Gaza as a group, including by imposing measures intended to prevent births, one of the categories of genocidal acts in the Rome Statute and the Genocide Convention," said the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
The commission further asserted that these actions, alongside a rise in maternal mortality due to limited access to medical supplies, constituted the crime against humanity of extermination.
The report accused Israel's security forces of implementing forced public stripping and sexual assault as part of their standard procedures to punish Palestinians following the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel in October 2023.
In response, Israel dismissed the allegations.
"The IDF has concrete directives . . . and policies which unequivocally prohibit such misconduct," the permanent mission stated, noting that its review processes meet international standards.
A prior report released by the Commission in June 2024 had also accused Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups of serious human rights violations during their October 7, 2023, attack, which included acts of torture and degrading treatment.
Israel is a party to the Genocide Convention and was directed by the International Court of Justice in January 2024 to take steps to prevent acts of genocide during the ongoing war against Hamas.
However, Israel is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, which empowers the International Criminal Court to adjudicate on individual cases of genocide and crimes against humanity.
South Africa has initiated a genocide case against Israel regarding its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.
The conflict escalated on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a cross-border attack into southern Israel, triggering a devastating war in the Gaza Strip that has resulted in over 48,000 Palestinian deaths, according to health officials in Gaza. Israeli sources report that 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage during the assault by Hamas militants.
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
