A new report released by the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory accuses Israel of systematically employing sexual, reproductive, and gender-based violence against Palestinians during its assault on Gaza. The findings, presented alongside public hearings in Geneva, also highlight the systematic destruction of reproductive healthcare facilities in Gaza and describe a “broader strategy to undermine Palestinian self-determination.” The report finds that Israel’s conduct has amounted to carrying out “genocidal acts” under international law, in addition to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
According to the report, these crimes include forced nudity, sexual harassment, and other forms of inhumane treatment carried out under orders or with implicit approval from senior Israeli military and civilian leaders. Most importantly, the report concluded that the deliberate destruction of reproductive healthcare facilities, combined with restrictions on humanitarian assistance, were measures “intended to prevent births among Palestinians in Gaza,” which the report called “a genocidal act under the Rome Statute and Genocide Convention.” The Commission added that “this was done with the intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza as a group” and that “this is the only inference that could reasonably be drawn from the acts in question.” ….more
