UN experts accuse 'Israel' of genocide, sexual violence in Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
13 Mar 2025 11:48
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Israeli attacks not only resulted in the loss of critical health infrastructure but also led to physical and mental scars.

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Damages at the Al-Basma clinic are shown following Israeli shelling. (Dr. Ghalayini/Al-Basma Clinic)

"Israel’s" actions in Gaza meet the definition of genocidal acts, a United Nations investigation concluded on Thursday. The report stressed that "Israel" deliberately targeted and destroyed critical sexual and reproductive healthcare facilities, which are essential for safe pregnancies, deliveries, and neonatal care. It further accused Israeli forces of using sexual violence as a war strategy, including forced stripping, sexual harassment, and rape, contributing to severe and long-lasting trauma for Palestinian women and young girls.

The UN Commission of Inquiry reported that "Israel intentionally attacked and destroyed" Gaza's primary fertility center while simultaneously imposing a siege that blocked humanitarian aid, including medication crucial for safe pregnancies, deliveries, and neonatal care.

"Israel" has alleged that the reports are “unfounded", but the commission found that "Israel's" actions had severely impacted the reproductive capacity of Palestinians in Gaza. The commission outlined two categories of genocidal acts: "deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction" and "imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group."

'Israel' inflicted deep physical, mental scars on Palestinian women and girls

The commission’s chair, Navi Pillay, stated that these violations caused "severe immediate physical and mental harm and suffering to women and girls," with "irreversible long-term effects on the mental health and reproductive and fertility prospects of Palestinians."

The report also detailed the destruction of the Al-Basma IVF Centre, Gaza's main in-vitro fertility clinic, in December 2023. The attack reportedly destroyed around 4,000 embryos, and the commission found no credible evidence suggesting that the clinic had any military purpose. It concluded that the attack was aimed at preventing births among Palestinians, constituting a genocidal act.

The commission further noted that the broader impact on pregnant, lactating, and new mothers was unprecedented, with irreversible consequences for the reproductive future of Gaza’s population. These acts were described as crimes against humanity, with the commission concluding that "Israel's" actions were an attempt to destroy the Palestinian group as a whole.

Following public hearings in Geneva, the commission also reported that "Israel" had directly targeted Palestinian women and girls with acts of sexual violence, including forced stripping, sexual harassment, and assault. Women and girls have died from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth due to the blockade, and the commission categorized these acts as crimes against humanity and the war crime of willful killing.