UN Rapporteurs Decry Underreporting of Israeli Sexual Violence Against Palestinian Women

Reem Alsalem, the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, stated that it is "abhorrent" that reports of rape by Israeli forces continue to surface without repercussions.

"Rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, or acts with respect to genocide," she emphasized in a post on X, urging for immediate cessation.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, highlighted the lack of coverage by journalists on the mistreatment and sexual abuse of Palestinian women by Israeli forces.

"I lost count of how many renowned journalists interviewed me on the alleged mistreatment of/sexual abuse against Palestinian women by Israeli forces, and never published any article on this," she lamented.

Jamila al-Hissi, a Palestinian woman who was trapped in a building near al-Shifa Hospital, told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces had raped, kidnapped, and killed women during their raid on the hospital.

"They raped women, kidnapped women, executed women, and pulled dead bodies from under the rubble to unleash their dogs on them," she recounted.

Al-Hissi also pleaded for the Red Cross to provide water and aid to children and the sick, forced to drink dirty water and eat rotten food.

Amid these reports, Israeli military operations around al-Shifa Hospital persisted, with air strikes and artillery shelling ongoing for a seventh consecutive day.

Without giving any evidence, the Israeli military claimed that the facility was used by Palestinian resistance groups, justifying their incursion with tanks and drones.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported about 3,000 people seeking refuge in al-Shifa, with attempts to leave targeted by Israeli snipers and helicopter fire.

Since the last week raid, reports have surfaced of atrocities against hospital staff and displaced individuals, including the execution of 140 people, including paramedics, patients, and wounded.

The war in Gaza began on October 7, prompted by Palestinian resistance groups responding to the occupying regime's atrocities. Since then, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 32,226 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 74,518 others.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.