While tension in Gaza shows no sign of abating, friction between Israel and the UN is materializing in a diplomatic clash. Government sources have in fact announced that Tel Aviv had recalled its ambassador to the United Nations following the “silence” on sexual violence attributed to Hamas. A circumstance confirmed about the massacre committed by Hamas and its collaborators on October 7. » Shortly afterwards, the contents of a UN report were made public, according to which there were “good reasons to believe” that there had been sexual violence, including rape, during the attacks of Hamas on October 7.
The UN mission
Concretely, the mission led by Pramila Patten (United Nations Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict) investigated the hostages, collecting “clear and convincing information on the fact that some of them had suffered various forms of violence conflict-related sexual violence. Accompanied by experts, Patten visited Israel and the West Bank for two and a half weeks in early February. Those who agreed to speak to them painted a picture of “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”, and “there is good reason to believe that such violence continues”.
In Gaza, recalled Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari, there are still 134 hostages, including women and children. The true extent of the October 7 violence, the report concludes, “may take months, if not years, to become apparent and may never be truly known.” The report concludes with a call for Israeli authorities to allow access to a mission of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Independent Commission of Inquiry on the Palestinian Territories, to conduct “thoroughly investigate all allegations of violations, and to integrate and deepen” what has emerged so far.
Israel accuses UNRWA: “Hamas infiltrators among its employees”
For his part, Hagari, based on information from the intelligence services, pointed the finger at UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, saying that more than 450 employees of the agency “belong to organizations terrorists in the Gaza Strip, particularly Hamas. And they would also occupy “positions of responsibility”. To support his thesis, he disclosed two telephone conversations, recorded during the massacres of October 7. One of the two belongs to Yusef al-Hawajara, an UNRWA teacher in Deir el-Balah, while the other belongs to Mamduh Alkali, a primary school teacher and “Islamic Jihad terrorist”. In the conversation, one of them is heard saying: “I'm inside, with the Jews. We have women hostages, I captured one.”
Educators, teachers, directors
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari told a press briefing: “For years, Hamas has exploited UNRWA and other international organizations for its own purposes. Hamas occupies positions within UNRWA and places its men there, who at the same time continue their activities within terrorist organizations. According to what Hagari said, the terrorists in question also work as educators, teachers and principals. This information, Hagari said, was transmitted to countries friendly to Israel as well as to the United Nations.
UNRWA: “Our employees tortured to make them confess”
The military spokesperson added that in one of the phone recordings, one of the UNRWA teachers who entered Israel described one of the women taken hostage on October 7 in derogatory and sexual terms. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees also made harsh accusations against Israeli authorities, saying they had tortured some of its employees during interrogations. “Some of our staff told UNRWA teams that they were forced to confess under torture and ill-treatment,” while being questioned about the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, the UN agency said.
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