Amid worsening humanitarian conditions in the war in Gaza, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, is due to brief the Security Council this afternoon at 3:00 PM (New York time) on her sexual violence report relating to the 7 October attacks, and incidents in the West Bank.
Ms. Patten is expected to provide an overview of the report on sexual violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, which made headlines worldwide upon its release last week following a visit to the region from late January to mid-February.
According to the report, the Special Representative said that during the Hamas attacks on Israel in October, there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that incidents of sexual violence took place “in at least three locations”, including the Nova music festival.
Findings also showed hostages taken during the attacks faced “rape and sexualized torture and sexualized cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and it also has reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing” inside Gaza.
In the West Bank, her team heard “the views and concerns” of Palestinian counterparts over incidents “allegedly committed by Israeli security forces and settlers”. The report noted that stakeholders had “raised concerns about cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of Palestinians in detention, including the increased use of various forms of sexual violence, namely invasive body searches, threats of rape and prolonged forced nudity”.
The meeting is taking place against the backdrop of rising hunger in Gaza, where aid deliveries have been blocked by Israel and the risk of famine is steadily mounting, as Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) military operations are planning a ground invasion in Rafah, the southern point of the besieged and bombarded enclave, where more than 1.5 million Gazans are seeking shelter from the fighting.
