UN experts appalled by reported human rights violations against Palestinian women and girls at the hands of Israeli officers

On Monday, the United Nations Population Fund expressed its horror at reports of Israeli officers “stripping Palestinian women and girls in Gaza of their clothes and subjecting them to rape or execution.” 

This came in a post by the UN Fund on its account on the X platform.

The Fund added, “Reports indicate that Palestinian women and girls in Gaza have been beaten, arrested, humiliated, raped, or executed by Israeli officers.”

“Women and girls are not targets,” UNFPA concluded.

Earlier today, UN rapporteurs expressed grave concern over reports of cases of “rape and threats of sexual assault” by Israeli forces during their arbitrary detention of Palestinian women and girls.

This came in a joint statement signed by United Nations rapporteurs, in which they described the reported human rights violations against women and girls in Palestine, which is subject to siege and intense Israeli attacks, as “horrifying.”

Quotes from UN News Services:

UN experts* today expressed alarm over credible allegations of egregious human rights violations to which Palestinian women and girls continue to be subjected in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

“We are particularly distressed by reports that Palestinian women and girls in detention have also been subjected to multiple forms of sexual assault, such as being stripped naked and searched by male Israeli army officers. At least two female Palestinian detainees were reportedly raped while others were reportedly threatened with rape and sexual violence,” the experts said. They also noted that photos of female detainees in degrading circumstances were also reportedly taken by the Israeli army and uploaded online.

The experts expressed concern that an unknown number of Palestinian women and children, including girls, have reportedly gone missing after contact with the Israeli army in Gaza. “There are disturbing reports of at least one female infant forcibly transferred by the Israeli army into Israel, and of children being separated from their parents, whose whereabouts remain unknown,” they said.

“We remind the Government of Israel of its obligation to uphold the right to life, safety, health, and dignity of Palestinian women and girls and to ensure that no one is subjected to violence, torture, ill-treatment or degrading treatment, including sexual violence,” the experts said.

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