A United Nations report on Monday confirmed evidence of Hamas terrorists committing acts of sexual violence during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and against hostages the terrorist group captured.
"There are reasonable grounds to believe that multiple incidents of sexual violence took place with victims being subjected to rape and/or gang rape and then killed or killed while being raped," Pramila Patten, U.N. special representative on sexual violence in conflict, wrote in the report, describing Hamas's Oct. 7 invasion. Patten and nine other U.N. officials visited the invaded regions of Israel last month, meeting with Israeli officials and interviewing survivors, witnesses, and released hostages of the Oct. 7 invasion.
"Several fully naked or partially naked bodies from the waist down were recovered—mostly women—with hands tied and shot multiple times, often in the head," Patten noted, adding that on Oct. 7 Hamas terrorists perpetrated acts of sexual violence "in at least three locations, namely: the Nova music festival site and its surroundings, Road 232, and Kibbutz Re’im."
The U.N. team also found evidence of similar sexual crimes against Israeli hostages, noting there is "clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape, sexualized torture, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment has been committed against hostages."
Hamas’s sexual atrocities against Israelis on and after Oct. 7 had been denied by many critics of Israel, including a podcast producer for Barack and Michelle Obama and a Los Angeles Times reporter. The U.N. report, however, corroborated Israel’s longstanding allegations against Hamas as well as a New York Times investigation in late December, which found the Palestinian militants inflicted "rape, mutilation, and extreme brutality against women" during their invasion of Israel. Left-wing outlets including the Intercept had attempted to discredit the Times report.