GENEVA, June 25 Israeli soldiers rape and threaten to rape Palestinians men, women and even children, the rights violations and impunity of soldiers are appalling, the UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People said in a statement.
«Numerous stakeholders reported a sharp increase in sexual harassment, sexual abuse, threats of rape and rape itself, including with foreign objects, against men, women and even children, as well as intimidation by Israeli security forces using dogs,» the document says.
The UN committee members believe that the violations committed by Israel against Palestinians in detention and the level of impunity for Israeli soldiers committing «inhumane, cruel and degrading behavior towards Palestinians, including women and children, are appalling.»
“Israeli security personnel publicly and shamelessly share photos on social media that violate the privacy and intimacy of Palestinian women in order to ridicule, shame and humiliate them,” they added.
Last week, the independent UN international commission of inquiry into the Occupied Palestinian Territory said Israeli authorities were responsible for a range of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Gaza since October 7.
In May, International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan said he was applying to the Pre-Trial Chamber for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant. In his statement, he noted that they are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity that have been committed since October 2023. US President Joe Biden then said that the US does not consider what is happening in the Gaza Strip to be genocide and rejects Khan's accusations.
On October 7, 2023, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. After this, fighters from the Palestinian Hamas movement entered the border areas, opened fire on military and civilians, and took more than 200 hostages. According to authorities, about 1.2 thousand people died.
The Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords in the Gaza Strip, which includes attacks on civilian targets. Israel announced a complete blockade of the enclave: supplies of water, electricity, fuel, food and medicine were stopped. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 37 thousand people were killed and over 86 thousand were injured. The Gaza Strip is effectively divided into southern and northern parts, and Israel is conducting a ground operation in Rafah, which is considered the last stronghold of Hamas.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the parties to stop hostilities. According to Moscow's position, a settlement is possible only on the basis of a formula approved by the UN Security Council with the creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.