The events of October 7th may take a long time to fully unravel. The violence may still continue.
In a recent report, UN experts estimate that there are “reasonable reasons” to believe that Hamas committed rape and other sexual violence when it attacked Israel on October 7.
The UN special representative on sexual violence in conflicts By Pramila Patten he and his colleagues found clear and convincing information that some of the women and children held hostage had been subjected to sexual violence.
Patten visited Israel and the West Bank with a nine-member research group at the turn of January and February.
The group did not investigate individual cases, but collected and analyzed information for the UN Secretary General’s annual report on sexual violence, Patten emphasizes.
The group did not manage to meet the victims of sexual violence in person, but spoke with representatives of dozens of institutions and those who organized the October 7 attacks.
Sexual violence may still continue
According to Patten, there are legitimate reasons to believe that similar violence may continue.
According to the UN it will take months or years for the extent of the sexual violence on the day of the attack to be known – and it is possible that it will never be fully known.
Hamas has previously denied claims that its fighters have committed rape.
The UN group recommends that Israel allow representatives of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Independent International Commission into the Palestinian territories and Israel to conduct a thorough investigation of the alleged sexual violence.
In the attack by the terrorist organization Hamas on October 7, about 1,200 people died and about 250 were taken hostage.
Hamas still has about 130 hostages, of which about thirty are believed to have died.