Hamas tortured and raped hostages? U.N report claims so

A U.N. report released Monday highlights allegations of sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, by United Nations experts investigating the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7. The experts found 'reasonable grounds to believe' such atrocities occurred among some victims.

"We found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, occurred during the 7th of October attacks in at least three locations," says the report published and read to media on Monday

The report, detailing accusations of "conflict-related sexual violence by Israeli security forces and settlers" against Palestinians in the West Bank, was unveiled amidst a whirlwind of competing claims and denials.

"In most of these incidents, the victims were first subjected to rape and then killed, and at least two incidents relate to the rape of woman corpses"

In a recent report, the United Nations refrained from directly accusing specific groups, including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other factions operating within and out of Gaza, for incursions into Israel on October 7th. The report described these operations as happening in three distinct phases and involved both armed and non-armed participants. The report explicitly mentioned that it did not undertake the collection of evidence or the determination of accountability for these actions. It emphasized that assigning blame would necessitate an extensive investigative effort, which the report did not undertake but recommended.

Responding to the findings, Lior Haiat, a spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, took to social media to express Israel's approval of what he interpreted as the U.N.'s acknowledgment of sexual violence perpetuated by Hamas. This interpretation points to a rare instance of specific recognition by a U.N. entity of such allegations against the group.

"We have also received information about cruel inhuman and degrading treatment of Palestinians, both man and woman, in detention [...] including sexual violence in forms of invasive body searches, threats of rape and forced nudity"

"We also have reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may still be ongoing on those still held in captivity," the U.N. report ended, leaving people and media silent.