Hamas hands over female Israeli prisoners as part of an exchange deal last November (Reuters)
On Friday, Hamas called for the formation of an impartial international committee to investigate international allegations that its members committed sexual violations during the October 7, 2023 attack, reiterating its rejection of those allegations.
A press statement issued by the office of the UN Special Envoy for Sexual Violence in Conflict Areas, Pramila Patten, said last Monday that a UN team that visited Israel and the West Bank found reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence occurred in several locations during the attacks of last October 7, which was denied. agitation.
The movement said in a statement on Friday to a member of its political office in Gaza, Bassem Naeem, “We once again confirm our strong condemnation of the report issued by Ms. Pramila Patten, regarding allegations and claims of incidents of sexual violence during the events of October 7 by Palestinians.”
The movement explained that the report came “after failed Zionist attempts to prove these false charges, which were confirmed to be baseless and based on fabricated stories by elements known to be linked to the Zionist security establishment.”
The statement stated that Patten herself confirms that she did not conduct a professional investigation, but was on a mission to collect information and investigate.
The movement expressed its extreme surprise that Patten issued its report after listening to only one party and neglecting to listen to hundreds of women who were subjected to harassment and sexual violence inside and outside the occupation prisons, especially those who were arrested from Gaza after October 7.
Hamas said that the UN rapporteur neglected a detailed professional report, which she received from Palestinian feminist organizations in Ramallah, about Israeli violations against Palestinian women, including sexual violence.
The movement renewed its rejection of the report, which it described as unprofessional and biased, especially at this sensitive time when hundreds of Palestinian women are still exposed to violence in all its forms in the occupation prisons, including sexual violence.
Hamas called for the formation of an impartial international investigation committee to investigate all events on October 7, 2023, including violence against women, affirming its full readiness to cooperate with the committee and respect its outcomes.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli settlements and military sites adjacent to the Gaza Strip, during which hundreds were killed, some by Israeli fire. The movement also took dozens to the Gaza Strip to exchange them for thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
Since that day, Israel has waged a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, resulting in tens of thousands of victims, most of them children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, which required Israel to appear for the first time since 1948 before the International Court of Justice on charges of committing genocide.
Source: Anadolu Agency