Back

#Palestine-Israel / “More than a human can bear”: Israel's systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other forms of gender-based violence since October 2023 (independent investigation for UNHRC)

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry has released a report documenting Israel's use of sexual, reproductive, and gender-based violence against Palestinians since October 2023. The report was accompanied by public hearings in Geneva on March 11-12, 2025.

This Commission was established by the UN Human Rights Council on May 27, 2021, to investigate alleged violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses in the region since April 13, 2021. It was mandated to report annually to both the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly starting from June and September 2022, respectively.

Some of the findings:

- The Commission found evidence of systematic sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians across the Occupied Palestinian Territory

- These acts are described as part of Israel's strategy to "dominate and destroy the Palestinian people"

- The report documents forced public stripping, sexual harassment, threats of rape, and sexual assault as "standard operating procedures" toward Palestinians

- More severe violations including rape and genital violence were reportedly committed under explicit orders or implicit encouragement from leadership

The Commission found that these actions amount to two categories of genocidal acts under the Rome Statute and Genocide Convention:

- Deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to bring about physical destruction

- Imposing measures intended to prevent births

The report also notes that similar findings regarding sexual violence committed by #Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on October 7, 2023 were documented in a previous report.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/03/more-human-can-bear-israels-systematic-use-sexual-reproductive-and-other

Full report PDF https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session58/a-hrc-58-crp-6.pdf

Note: An "independent investigation" in this context means that the Commission of Inquiry operates with autonomy from political influence or control by any particular nation, including the parties involved in the conflict.

@israel
@palestine
#IsraelWarCrimes
#GazaGenocide
#OHCR #UN
#genderbasedviolence