Five months after the terrorist attack by Islamist Hamas and other Gaza Strip extremists in Israel, the United Nations has issued a report classifying allegations of sexual violence during the massacre as credible. There is “legitimate reason to believe” that rapes and gang rapes took place in at least three locations, said the newspaper, which was published in New York on Monday (local time). There is also compelling information that sexual violence has also been committed against kidnapped hostages and may continue in the Gaza Strip today. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused the UN of trying to sweep Hamas’ crimes under the carpet. A UN spokesperson rejected this. The Israeli army now sees clear signs that the terrorists also abducted women as ‘slaves’ during their attack.
In a previously unpublished report by the Palestinian aid organization UNRWA, former prisoners accuse Israel of mistreatment in prisons. Hundreds of released people have reported “systematic humiliation” at UNRWA, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said in New York on Monday evening (local time). According to the New York Times, it is about the abuse that Gazans of “all ages” were subjected to in detention centers in Israel. The abuse served to “extort information or confessions, to intimidate and humiliate and to punish.”
Meanwhile, US Vice President Kamala Harris expressed her “deep concern” about humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip during a meeting with Israeli Minister Benny Gantz in Washington. She also spoke of the urgency of a hostage agreement and welcomed Israel’s “constructive approach” to the negotiations, the White House said afterward. Harris called on Hamas to accept these conditions. The US, with Egypt and Qatar as mediators, is working hard to broker a temporary ceasefire and the release of the hostages. So far there has been no breakthrough in the indirect negotiations.
Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet, and Harris also discussed the situation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which is overcrowded with hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees. They discussed the need for a viable plan to protect civilians before considering a major military operation in Rafah. In Rafah, on the border with Egypt, approximately 1.5 million people currently live in a very small area. Israel is planning a ground offensive in the area. In view of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the US government has been hardening its tone towards the Israeli government for weeks, calling on Israel to significantly increase aid in the coastal area and open new border crossings.
After the start of US air aid deliveries, the United Nations called the amount of humanitarian supplies delivered insufficient. Every delivery helps, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in New York on Monday. “But it doesn’t match the size or scope of what we need.” Relief deliveries by land truck are necessary. In light of the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, the US this weekend began delivering aerial aid to the civilian population there; other countries are also dropping humanitarian aid there from planes.
In the report prepared by Pramila Patten, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, the world organization now concludes after a visit to Israel that in most incidents on the day of the massacre, rape victims were subsequently killed. The report also mentions cases of sexual abuse of female corpses, the report said. The UN agency did not have the mandate to name the perpetrators of the report. A “comprehensive investigation” was needed, it said.
Patten’s team’s research took place from late January to mid-February. Dozens of meetings took place with representatives of Israeli authorities and organizations, and more than 5,000 photos and 50 hours of video material were viewed. The United Nations conducted 34 interviews with witnesses. However, the team did not speak to the surviving victims. On the one hand, the reason is their ongoing trauma. In addition, there was a “lack of trust” among victims in international organizations such as the UN, it was said.
The Israeli military has now released audio recordings intended to prove that women were also kidnapped as ‘slaves’ during the attack on Israel. Male voices can be heard on the recordings, which are said to come from the day of the invasion. According to Israeli reports, these also include employees of the Palestinian aid organization UNRWA. For example, the teacher at an UNRWA school allegedly said that he had captured a ‘slave’, army spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Monday evening. The authenticity of the recordings could not initially be independently verified. A response from UNWRA to the accusations was initially delayed.
Israeli War Cabinet Minister Gantz continues his talks in Washington during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Meanwhile, the war rages on. It remains uncertain whether an agreement on a temporary ceasefire will be reached, as hoped, before the fasting month of Ramadan, which is holy for Muslims and begins around March 10. (rbu/sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
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