Yesterday, Pramila Patten, United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, published the mission report following her official visit of the Office of the SRSG-SVC to Israel and the occupied West Bank 29 January – 14 February 2024.
The importance of this report is enormous. It is a report compiled by a team specializing in gender-based violent crimes in conflict areas, headed by the UN Under-Secretary-General, Pramila Patten. Patten was the first to issue a statement that condemned Hamas and acknowledged the gender-based war crimes that occurred on October 7, in contrast to the blatant disregard shown by other UN bodies. The team, whose mandate focused on the crimes of gender violence, made a comprehensive visit, during which they conducted tours, interviews, and reviewed and analyzed many materials.
For the first time, this report express a clear and official acknowledgement of the fact that sexual crimes and atrocities, and the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, were indeed committed. There is no doubt that this will be added to the historical record, alongside other significant acts, on the long list of atrocities committed by Hamas, in line with other horrific events such as those which occurred in Bosnia, Rwanda and Congo. We hope that following the publication of the report, it will no longer be possible to deny the nature of these acts. We also expect that, within the framework of the report, it will be explicitly stated that Hamas bears responsibility for the acts of gender-based violence on October 7th as well as towards the women and men who remain in captivity, and that the UN Secretary General will therefore include Hamas in the CRSV blacklist.
