Sexual, reproductive and gender-based violence against Palestinians - new report from the UN

[Scirocco]

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/03/more-human-can-bear-israels-systematic-use-sexual-reproductive-and-other

The UN has published a new report. Link above. There's also an article on the BBC website at the moment.

Its awful

So awful. Those poor women.

That was a hard read, it's like Palestinian women just don't matter.

Sky news reported on it too.

https://news.sky.com/story/israel-accused-of-genocidal-acts-against-palestinians-during-gaza-war-in-united-nations-report-13327633

Not the first time Israel has been accused of appalling treatment of women and their reproductive health:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/feb/28/ethiopian-women-given-contraceptives-israel

That's definitely how it feels. Women in pretty much every country in the world experience walls of silence and disbelief around sexual, reproductive and misogynistic violence, and the quiet around this is so obvious.

"The report found that sexual and gender-based violence – which has risen in frequency and severity – is being perpetrated across the Occupied Palestinian Territory as a strategy of war for Israel to dominate and destroy the Palestinian people.

Specific forms of sexual and gender-based violence – such as forced public stripping and nudity, sexual harassment including threats of rape, as well as sexual assault – comprise part of the Israeli Security Forces’ standard operating procedures toward Palestinians.

Other forms of sexual and gender-based 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 report said."

Absolutely horrific. And Western governments will still defend Israel and provide cover for it. Why?

This is appalling. I'm really shocked by the silence on this thread tbh. A report about rape, sexual assault, genitals being violently attacked, sexualised torture committed under order or encouragement from both civillian and military leadership and only 6 people seem to care enough to comment in 4 days?

I hope something is done to protect not just Palestinians from this but Israelis too, people who commit this type of horrific sexual violence are not safe to roam the streets. It's in everybodies best interest that these people are charged and appropriately punished for their crimes. Netanyahu and his fellow government officials are letting everybody down by refusing to believe the victims of sexual violence.

Thank you. It says a lot, how little interest there is in reports of sexual violence and harm in general and more specifically when it affects certain demographics.

Men (and it is mostly men doing these things around the world) who do such things are showing some really dangerous and dark sides to themselves, and then going home to their own families... and data on what happens next suggests they don't stop being controlling and abusive when they finish work.

I believe there's a lot of racism involved. Palestine lives just don't matter to some people. I remember when October 7th happened and everyone was talking about sexual violence against Israelis, but when mass sexual violence happens to the Palestinians there's not a peep. Not even a peep when a rape of a Palestinian prisoner was caught on camera.

Violence against Palestinians is excused in general. There's always this perception that they're all terrorists, so they deserve it. For example, when the poor man was shot by the IDF and then tied to the top of a jeep to be used as a human shield. Pro-Israel posters made all sorts of ridiculous scenarios and justifications for what the IDF did to him. When the man's identity was revealed and it turned out that he was just an ordinary dude, there wasn't a hint of an apology from these posters. There wasn't a peep at all.

@10UsernamesNotAvailableTryAnotherOne it's just awful.

That thread is a disgrace .

Anyway Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona daoibh go leir. Happy St Patrick's day to you all am off to freeze my arse off at the parade . last year there was a beautiful display of solidarity to Palestinians as they passed through the parade . Proud to live in a country that overwhelmingly is empathetic to their plight .

It sure is. Thankfully the comments from the main offender have finally been deleted! Happy St Patrick's day to you, too! 🍀Have fun!

The report is barely being covered by the news outlets. A handful are even reporting it in a way that delegitimises it by saying that the UN is not neutral and has an axe to grind against Israel and how dare they compare the IDF to Hamas. I was disgusted because sexual violence is sexual violence and a rapist is a rapist no matter what flag they fly or salute to.

Thank you OP. That is awful and will only be the tip of what is happening. Because of the shame concerning sexual abuse and egregious breaches of Palestinians’ bodily autonomy such as these, many will never report it even if they get the chance ( which must be rare).

I've just heard the most disgusting testimony of what the IDF are doing to Palestinian women. Where are all the feminists at? Where are the pages and pages in newspapers dedicated to their rapes? I'm actually boiling with rage about the silence surrounding this and at the people who still 'but Hamas' like anything in the world can excuse what those people are doing to Palestinian women.

I read it on the AIBU thread. Absolutely horrific! It's shocking how there is no outrage. Can you imagine if this happened to an Israeli woman?!

There isn't just no outrage there's an actual concerted effort to shut people up. To try and shame people into being quiet about it. It's disgusting.

I'm actually so upset at this. I can't link to the video I saw from the UN commission of inquiry on the 11th of March as it was on Instagram and it will share my username but the descriptions of what they have to done to women and girls. Girls like my teenager. And nobody cares. They are just leaving these foul people to do as they wish to them.

A woman speaking on You Tube in relation to this:

re the UN commission of inquiry on the 11th of March.