TEHRAN – The UN has discovered that Israeli occupation regime committed “genocide” in Gaza, including an ongoing attack on women’s health care.
The 49-page report concludes that Israeli occupation forces also use sexual violence as a weapon of war to “control and destroy the Palestinian people.”
Critics argue that despite increasing evidence from international groups on the genocide carried out by the Israeli regime in Gaza, many regional and international politicians and media have misinformed their audiences by refusing to cover the story.
Israeli occupation forces are increasingly using sexual, reproductive, and other forms of gender-based violence against Palestinians, Israeli occupation forces, according to a report by the UN Independent International Committee on Searching on Israeli occupation territories.
The committee found that certain forms of sexual and gender-based violence, including forced public deprivation, nudity, threats of rape, sexual harassment such as sexual assault, are part of the standard operating procedures of the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinians.
Other forms of sexual and gender-based violence, including rape and violence against the genitals, were carried out under direct orders or with implicit encouragement from top Israeli political and military leaders.
The report states that these actions are part of a broader effort to undermine Palestinians’ right to self-determination and include genocide through the systematic destruction of sexual and reproductive health facilities.
The committee documented cases where women and girls of all ages, including obstetric patients, were targeted. These are the acts that constitute the crimes against humanity of murder and the war crimes of intentional murder.
It highlights the widespread violations committed against Palestinian women, men, girls and boys across the occupied Palestinian territory since October 7, 2023.
The UN report entitled “Man Can Bear” finds these violations to be an important part of Palestinian abuse, linking them to illegal occupation and persecution of Palestinians as a group.
This is one that imposes siege and prohibitions of humanitarian aid, including essential medicines and equipment needed for safe pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and neonatal care.
These actions violate the reproductive rights and autonomy of women and girls, as well as the principles of life, health, family life, human dignity, physical and mental integrity, freedom from torture, treatment of other cruel or deterioration, self-determination, and non-discrimination.
It was found that women and girls died from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, as conditions imposed by Israeli authorities denied access to reproductive care.
According to the report, these actions amount to crimes against extinct humanity.
The report documents how Israeli authorities have destroyed the fertility of Gaza Palestinians as a group through the systematic destruction of sexual and reproductive medicine.
This corresponds to two categories of genocide acts under the Roman law and the Genocide Convention. This includes implementing measures aimed at preventing birth by intentionally providing conditions of life designed to cause physical destruction of the Palestinians.
“The evidence gathered by the committee reveals a deplorable increase in sexual and gender-based violence,” said Navi Pillay, the committee chair.
“There is no escape from the conclusion that Israel adopted sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians to perpetuate a system of oppression that terrorizes them and undermines their right to self-determination,” the report states.
“Targeting reproductive health facilities, including direct attacks on maternity wards and major obesity clinics in Gaza, has impacted all aspects of reproduction, in conjunction with the use of starvation as a way of war,” Commissioner Pillay said.
“These violations not only caused serious physical and mental harm and suffering for women and girls, but also caused irreversible long-term impacts on the outlook for Palestinian mental health and reproduction and fertility as a group.”
An environment of immunity exists for sexual and gender-based crimes committed by illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, with the aim of instilling fear in Palestinian communities and ousting them.
The release of the report was accompanied by a two-day hearing in Geneva from March 11-12.
During these sessions, the committee heard from representatives of victims and witnesses of sexual and reproductive violence, healthcare professionals, civil society, academics, lawyers and health professionals who provided care.
The session further revealed that increasing sexual and gender-based violence, both in frequency and severity, is being used across occupied Palestinian territory as a strategy for war by Israeli authorities to control and destroy the Palestinian people.
“The tolerance statements and actions by Israeli leaders and the lack of effectiveness demonstrated by the military (judicial) system will send a clear message to members of Israeli security forces that the case can be prosecuted and convicted perpetrators can continue such actions without fear of accountability,” Pillay said.
“In this context, accountability through national law or universal jurisdiction through international criminal and national courts is essential when the rule of law is upheld and the victim is awarded justice.”
The committee found an increase in the proportion of female deaths in Gaza. This is happening on an unprecedented scale due to Israel’s strategy of intentionally targeting residential buildings and using heavy explosives in densely populated areas.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, around 50,000 Gazaans have been killed in coastal enclaves during the US-backed massacre Israeli War, most of which are women and children.