Occupied West Bank : Witnessing Life & Insecurity | Security Council Briefing

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Published Jun 22, 2024

Briefing by Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question - Security Council, 9572nd meeting.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, told the Security Council today (11 Mar) that “clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape, sexualized torture, and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment have been committed against hostages” and added there are “reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may still be ongoing against those in captivity.”

The top UN official on sexual violence in war said, “there are reasonable grounds to believe that conflict related sexual violence, including rape and gang rape occurred in at least three locations, namely: the Nova music festival site and its surroundings, Road 232, and Kibbutz Re’im.”

She said, “in most of these incidents, victims were first subjected to rape, then killed. In other locations, such as kibbutz Kfar Aza, while circumstantial information may indicate the occurrence of sexual violence, reported incidents of rape could not be verified.”

With regard to instances of instances of sexual violence in the context of detention of male and female Palestinians by Israeli forces, Patten reported “invasive body searches; unwanted touching of intimate areas; beatings, including in the genital areas; threats of rape against women and threats of rape against female family members - wives, sisters, daughters - in the case of men; and inappropriate strip searches and prolonged forced nudity of detainees.”

Screenshot Credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe