The Israeli government insists that Hamas formally sanctioned sexual assault on October 7, 2023. But investigators say the evidence does not stand up to scrutiny. Catherine Philp and Gabrielle Weiniger report on eight months of claim and counter-claim
Talk of rape began circulating almost before the massacres themselves were over. Much of it came from what Patten would later call “non-professionals” who supplied “inaccurate and unreliable forensic interpretations” of what they found, creating an instant but flawed narrative about what had taken place.
Meanwhile, the political establishment has opened a fresh battle with the UN over what the Patten report didn’t say: that sexual violence was beyond reasonable doubt, systematic, widespread and ordered and perpetrated by Hamas. Israeli advocates for the female survivors are now warning that the country’s refusal to co-operate with a full and legal investigation, which the carefully worded report was not, threatens the prospect of ever finding out the full truth about the sexual violence of October 7 and delivering justice for its victims.
It was not a legal investigation, Patten explained, as Israel had not allowed one: that mandate could only be fulfilled by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which Israel has refused to work with since its inception. She hoped that would change.
Patten made it clear there was sufficient evidence of acts of sexual violence to merit full and proper investigation and expressed her shock at the brutality of the violence. The report also confirmed Israeli authorities were unable to provide much of the evidence that political leaders had insisted existed. In all the Hamas video footage Patten’s team had watched and all the photographs they had seen, there were no depictions of rape. We hired a leading Israeli dark-web researcher to look for evidence of those images, including footage deleted from public sources. None could be found.
I forgot what conversation I was in 🥲
I’ve answered the question of why I think Israel has given resistance to the investigation in general. “I suspect was caused by them wanting to be able to lie without anyone investigating their lies” was what I said. (And, actually, I would add to that just a general hostility to the UN based on the fact that the UN keeps pointing out that they’re doing war crimes and wanting to investigate IDF sexual violence and similar things the Israelis don’t want.) I’ve asked for more details about exactly what you mean, if you want a more specific answer pertaining to some more specific behavior on Israel’s part.
If you want to provide those details, I’m happy to provide that more detailed answer, and if not, I’m not sure what else I could do. I’m aware that this whole conversation is an attempt by you to pivot away from the question “did Hamas rape a bunch of people?”, so I’m a little reluctant to give it any energy at all, but I did say I would answer anything you wanted to ask, so there’s the answer.
A sexual violence investigation does not require every UN investigative team to visit. It requires the one specialized in sexual violence.
Also strange that they invited Patten if they are so afraid of a real investigation…