The United Nations has accused Israel of using “credible information” to indicate that its forces have sexually abused detained Palestinians. However, the Israeli ambassador, Danny Danon, rejected these allegations as “baseless accusations.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his concerns about reported violations against Palestinians by Israeli military and security forces in several prisons, a detention center, and a military base. He warned Israel that if patterns of certain forms of sexual violence are consistently documented, it could be listed as an abuser in his next report on sexual violence in conflict.
Danon countered that the allegations were “steeped in biased publications” and that the UN should focus on Hamas’s alleged war crimes and hostage releases. He also stated that Israel will not shy away from protecting its citizens and would continue to act according to international law.
Guterres urged Israel’s government to take measures to ensure an immediate cessation of all acts of sexual violence, including investigations of credible allegations, clear orders and codes of conduct for military and security forces, and unimpeded access for UN monitors. This comes after human rights experts previously accused Israel of using “the systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other gender-based violence” against Palestinian detainees.
The accusations have been ongoing since a 2023 attack in southern Israel that killed over 1,200 people and took around 250 hostage, with reports of women being raped and sexually abused.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/un-israel-palestinians-sexual-violence-guterres-1483a001fff4c6fb4aee3eae7424d746