The Hebrew newspaper Haaretz reported that Israel is refusing to allow the United Nations to conduct a thorough investigation into alleged sexual crimes committed by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attack.
According to the report published on Wednesday, such an investigation could compel Israel to permit the UN to also examine allegations of sexual violence against Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
The report noted that an investigation into Hamas’ alleged sexual crimes could have led to the group being added to the UN’s “blacklist,” which includes entities suspected of committing sexual violence during armed conflicts.
Haaretz also stated that Pramila Patten, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, has demanded, as a condition for investigating Hamas’ crimes, that Israel grant her team access to Israeli detention facilities holding Palestinians. This would allow the UN to investigate whether Israeli soldiers committed sexual abuse against detainees. However, Israel continues to reject this request, obstructing the initiation of the investigation.
Source: Haaretz newspaper.
