A UN report accuses Israel of using sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians in Gaza, alleging war crimes. Israel denies the claims, calling them biased. The findings may support prosecutions at the ICC, which has already issued arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders.

United Nations experts on Thursday accused Israel of committing sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians during the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

A report commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council alleges that the Israeli state has used sexual violence as a war strategy. According to the report, a broad range of violations against Palestinian women, men, boys, and girls has occurred since Hamas launched its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering the Gaza war.

Chris Sidoti, a member of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, stated that Israel has increasingly used sexual, reproductive, and other forms of gender-based violence against Palestinians.

“It also concludes that Israel has carried out genocidal acts through the systematic destruction of sexual and reproductive healthcare facilities,” Sidoti said.

He added that these actions amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Furthermore, he accused Israel of obstructing the commission’s investigations.

Israel has rejected the accusations, calling them biased and anti-Semitic. It also criticized the Commission of Inquiry for relying on “second-hand, single, uncorroborated sources.”

However, the three commissioners defended their findings, stating that the report was based on testimonies from victims and witnesses of sexual and reproductive violence, some of whom spoke during hearings in Geneva this week. They also said they used verified photos and video footage, as well as information from various civil society and women’s rights organizations.

The report further accused Israeli security forces of committing rape and sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners.

Israel denies any systematic abuse of detainees and insists that it has taken action when violations have been identified.

Hamas, responding to the report, described it as “confirmation of the severity of the crimes” committed by Israel against Palestinians.

The findings of the Commission can potentially be used as evidence in the International Criminal Court (ICC) or other legal bodies seeking to prosecute Israel for war crimes.

The ICC has already issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant. Both have denied accusations of committing war crimes in Gaza.

Additionally, the court issued a warrant for Hamas’s military leader, but the militant group has since confirmed that he was killed.