A powerful new UN report has accused Israel of systematically using sexual, reproductive, and gender-based violence against Palestinians since October 2023.

It describes the scale and intent of the violations as part of a broader campaign to dominate, terrorise, and destroy the Palestinian people.

The report, issued by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, documents widespread abuses committed by Israeli forces and settlers across Gaza and the West Bank, particularly targeting women, girls, and vulnerable communities.

“The evidence collected by the Commission reveals a deplorable increase in sexual and gender-based violence,” said Navi Pillay, Chair of the Commission.

“There is no escape from the conclusion that Israel has employed these methods to perpetuate a system of oppression that undermines Palestinians’ right to self-determination.”

Among the violations listed are public forced stripping, sexual harassment, threats of rape, and physical assault — described by the report as part of the Israeli Security Forces’ “standard operating procedures”.

In some cases, these acts were allegedly committed under direct orders or with tacit approval from senior military and political leaders.

The report also points to a systematic targeting of Gaza’s reproductive healthcare system. Maternity wards, fertility clinics, and key medical infrastructure have been destroyed, while Israel’s siege has blocked the delivery of essential medications and equipment.

According to the Commission, these actions have directly led to the deaths of women and girls from preventable pregnancy complications and amount to the crime against humanity of extermination, as well as acts of genocide under international law.

“The targeting of reproductive healthcare facilities, combined with the use of starvation as a method of war, has impacted all aspects of reproduction,” Pillay said.

“These violations have not only caused severe immediate suffering, but irreversible long-term harm to the reproductive future of Palestinians as a group.”

The report was backed by public hearings held in Geneva on 11–12 March, where victims, medical personnel, academics, and civil society groups gave testimony on the ground realities in Gaza and the West Bank.

It also highlights a culture of impunity, pointing to a lack of prosecutions or disciplinary action against Israeli forces, and warning that without international accountability — including action by the International Criminal Court — these crimes will continue unchecked.

The report further notes a disturbing rise in female fatalities in Gaza, as densely populated residential areas continue to be bombed with heavy explosives.

In some cases, the Commission documented direct targeting of women and girls, including maternity patients — acts it categorises as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

As the humanitarian crisis deepens, the Commission is calling for urgent international action, justice for victims, and an end to practices it says have brought Palestinians, particularly women and girls, to a level of suffering that is, in their words, “more than a human can bear.”

Featured image credit: Mohammed Salem / Reuters 

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