UN rights experts called for an independent probe into alleged Israeli abuses against Palestinian women and girls, including sexual assault.
The New Arab Staff & Agencies
19 February, 2024
Israel's bombardment of Gaza has killed over 29,000 people since October 7 [Getty]
UN rights experts called Monday for an independent probe into alleged Israeli abuses against Palestinian women and girls, including killings, rapes and sexual assault.
The statement by the seven independent UN experts prompted an angry reaction from Israel, which rejected the "despicable and unfounded claims".
The experts voiced alarm at "credible allegations of egregious human rights violations" targeting women and girls in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.
They cited reports of women and girls reportedly being "arbitrarily executed in Gaza, often together with family members, including their children".
"We are shocked by reports of the deliberate targeting and extrajudicial killing of Palestinian women and children in places where they sought refuge, or while fleeing," they said.
The independent experts, who are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council but who do not represent the United Nations, also pointed to the "arbitrary detention of hundreds of Palestinian women and girls", including human rights defenders, journalists and humanitarians.
They said many of those detained had reported been subjected to "inhuman and degrading treatment", including severe beatings and being denied menstrual pads, food and medicine.
They voiced particular alarm at reports of "multiple forms of sexual assault", including reports of rapes of at least two female detainees, while others were "stripped naked and searched by male Israeli army officers".
The experts called for an "independent, impartial, prompt, thorough and effective investigation" into the allegations, urging Israel to cooperate.
The Israeli mission in Geneva dismissed the statement saying the experts were "motivated by their hatred for Israel, not by the truth".
It said Israeli authorities had received no complaints, but stood ready to investigate any "concrete claims of misconduct by its security forces when presented with credible allegations and evidence".
Hamas' October 7 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people in Israel, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. The group says its attack came in response to decades of Israel's blockade of Gaza and aggression towards the Palestinians.
Israel's unprecedented air and ground assault on Gaza has killed more than 29,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the territory's health ministry.
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