DaysofPal- The United Nations announced on Friday that it has documented persistent and systematic patterns of rape and conflict-related sexual violence across several war-affected regions around the world, identifying Israeli security and military forces among the parties implicated in such violations.
Presenting the UN’s annual report on conflict-related sexual violence in New York, Pramila Patten, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, stressed that the report is not focused on a single country or region. Instead, it covers 21 conflict-affected countries and places the experiences of victims at its center.
Patten emphasized that the report seeks to highlight the suffering of those whose “bodies and futures have been shattered” by these crimes, including women, girls, men, and children. She noted that the findings reflect the devastating human cost of sexual violence in conflict settings and the urgent need for international action to address it.
According to the report, the United Nations verified 31 cases of sexual violence during 2025 involving Palestinians. The incidents reportedly occurred in Israeli detention facilities and at security checkpoints and affected men, women, girls, and children.
Patten stated that sexual violence against Palestinians had been used “as part of torture and humiliation.” She said the entities named in the report include Israeli security forces, the Israeli military, and special units, including the Yamam counterterrorism unit. The documented violations were reported to have taken place during arrests, interrogations, and detention in Israeli camps and detention facilities.
The UN official further noted that these incidents occurred in an environment marked by near-total impunity. Victims, she said, often faced threats that discouraged them from reporting abuses. She added that UN monitoring mechanisms continue to encounter significant obstacles in Gaza, while the International Committee of the Red Cross has been denied access to certain facilities due to security-related restrictions.
Patten said that during her visit to the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel, she called for the immediate implementation of preventive measures mandated by the UN Security Council to address conflict-related sexual violence. However, she noted that Israeli authorities had rejected the report’s findings and conclusions.
She concluded that the documented abuses cannot be dismissed as isolated incidents. Instead, she described them as part of a broader and recurring pattern that demands a comprehensive international response. Such a response, she said, should focus on protecting civilians, ensuring accountability, and safeguarding the dignity and rights of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
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