Israel’s systematic sexual abuse and torture of Palestinians detailed in new reports
Verified footage of Nasser Hospital detainees in February 2024
Middle East Eye reports on 12 June 2024:
Recently published reports have revealed the systematic sexual abuse and torture of Palestinian men, women and children by Israeli forces during the assault on Gaza.
On Wednesday, a report published by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded that the frequency and severity of sexual and gender-based violations meant that they were likely “part of [Israeli security forces] operating procedures”.
The inquiry detailed multiple instances of Israeli forces publicly stripping Palestinian women of their clothes and veils, and subjecting them to sexual harassment in front of their families during ground operations in Gaza.
The commission noted that “Palestinian men and boys have been disproportionally affected and victimised on many grounds”, and heard several reports of male victims being subjected to sexual violence in Gaza and the West Bank by Israeli forces.
This included physical and mental abuse while being undressed, being forced to walk naked between checkpoints, and being coerced into undressing in front of family members. The commission added that these acts were often filmed and photographed by the soldiers themselves.
Witnesses also reported mistreatment and forced public nudity during Israeli military raids in hospitals. One account described how, during a raid of Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital in November, Israeli forces took all the men and teenage boys outside and forced them to undress.
The commission said that the increasingly sexual nature of Israeli aggression was likely driven by a desire to humiliate Palestinians in retaliation for the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October, which killed more than 1,100 people.