# UN experts accuse Israel of 'genocidal acts' and sexual violence

## David Gritten (BBC News)

The UN Human Rights Council commissioned a report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory accusing Israel of using sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians and engaging in "genocidal acts" through the destruction of maternal and reproductive healthcare facilities.

The report, submitted in 2025, documents alleged violations, including rape, and says the destruction of the maternity clinic could amount to a crime against humanity.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the report, accusing the Human Rights Council of targeting Israel with false accusations.

Israel's mission to the UN in Geneva also denied accusations of systematic sexual violence, instead focusing on the attacks in Gaza. The Israeli military said it had no knowledge of the strike on the clinic.

The report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry is based on testimony from victims and witnesses, as well as verified photos and video footage, and information from civil society and women's rights organizations.

## Warning: This article contains distressing content

The report highlights specific forms of sexual and gender-based violence, such as forced public stripping, sexual harassment, and rape, which "comprise part of the Israeli Security Forces' standard operating procedures toward Palestinians."

Other forms of violence, including rape and violence to the genitals, were "committed either under explicit orders or with implicit encouragement by Israel's top civilian and military leadership."

The commission also alleges that Israel has destroyed reproductive healthcare facilities across Gaza, which could result in the prevention of births among a particular group.

The commission's chair Navi Pillay, a South African former UN human rights chief, said the evidence collected "reveals a deplorable increase in sexual and gender-based violence" and emphasized the need for international humanitarian and human rights law to address these issues.

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