[News] Hamas deplores baseless UN report on sexual violence on October 7

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/hamas-deplores-baseless-un-report-on-sexual-violence-on-octo>
Hamas deplores baseless UN report on sexual violence on October 7
Al Mayadeen English
March 5, 2024
------------------------------

After listening to the usual claims made by Israeli officials and finding
no incriminating evidence of sexual violence, UN SRSG Pamila Patten puts
out a contradictory statement.
[image: f3261664-5783-435c-bd2f-016c6edcdaef.png]

   - Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations
   Pramila Patten speaks during a press conference, on March 5, 2024. *(Social
   media)*

The Islamic Resistance Movement - Hamas rejected and strongly deplored
allegations made by Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG)
of the United Nations (UN) Pramila Patten, whose envoy found that "sexual
violence occurred on 7 October."

SRSG Patten's team "found clear and convincing information that sexual
violence, including rape
<https://english.almayadeen.net/in-pictures/israeli-forces-rape-women-in-gaza--execute-others>,
sexualized torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment has been
committed against hostages and has reasonable grounds to believe that such
violence may be ongoing against those still held in captivity," putting
such actions in the context of the Resistance's Operations Al-Aqsa Flood,
which took the Israeli military by surprise.

However, the statement issued by the office of SRSG on Sexual Violence does
admit that the information they were able to access was "circumstantial",
adding that they were unable to interview any of the alleged victims of
sexual abuse during the visit.

The mission was even able to confirm that several claims of sexual violence
in the Gaza Envelope
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/debunking-israeli-claims--what-led-to-nyt-s-false-hamas-rape>
were "unfounded".

Hamas' statement pushed back against the claims made by the UN SRGS's
report saying that such incidents of "rape and sexual violence
<https://english.almayadeen.net/videos/former-us-official-exposes-israeli-raping-of-palestinian-chi>"
were proven "to be baseless."

The statement highlighted cases of sexual violence committed by Israeli
occupation forces and settlers in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West
Bank, which was "already verified by other UN entities," as stated in the
SRSG's release.

Hamas said that such claims made by Israeli authorities only serve the
purpose of "demonizing the Palestinian Resistance and covering up"
confirmed reports of sexual violence committed by Israelis in occupied
territories.

"Despite Ms. Patten’s [false claims] and accusations against Palestinian
Resistance fighters, her report did not document any testimony from
[alleged victims of sexual violence]. Rather, in her report, she relied on
Israeli institutions, soldiers, and witnesses who were [handpicked] by the
occupation authorities, to push [false accusations]," Hamas underlined.

The movement said that the accusation will not erase the fact that "Israel"
has disregarded the orders of the International Court of Justice and
committed multiple massacres in the Gaza Strip that have killed around
40,000 people.

*Read more: Food blogger, Israeli film director scripted Hamas rape story
for NYT
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/food-blogger--israeli-film-director-scripted-hamas-rape-stor>*
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