Ahlulbayt News Agency: It appears that the Zionists view their final strategy for internal reconstruction and war continuation as reverting to the old tactic of portraying themselves as victims on the international stage.
The conflict in Gaza has been marked by numerous human tragedies and instances of severe violations of human rights and crimes against humanity by the Zionist regime. However, in recent weeks, global attention has been predominantly drawn to the widespread food shortages and starvation, highlighted by images of starving children. The international community's failure to pressure the Zionists to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza has sparked protests and criticism worldwide. Interestingly, amidst these events, the United Nations has reopened the closed case of allegations of sexual assault against Israeli women and children during Al-Aqsa Storm Operation on October 7th.
On what documentation is the report based on?
The key concern raised by the UN rapporteur's statement is the lack of evidence or documentation supporting the unverified allegations made by the Zionists. Consequently, there is still no new evidence justifying the conclusion that fighters from Hamas committed sexual assault on October 7th.
Following the events of October 7th and the significant setback to the security and military of the Zionist regime, mainstream Western media, aligned with the Zionists, initiated a smear campaign against Palestinian resistance forces. Their objective was to align global public opinion with the crimes of the Zionists in Gaza and the genocide of Palestinians. Within this context, certain claims, such as the abduction of Israeli children or the mistreatment of women, were widely circulated. However, even the White House later retracted its initial confirmation of these reports.
Most of these reports, attributed to observations by Zionist military personnel or Israeli doctors, who have failed to provide any evidence through published images or statements from non-combatant witnesses.
For instance, in early December 2023, a Zionist regime police official reportedly informed Congress that investigations had collected "more than 1,500 shocking allegations" from witnesses, doctors, and forensic experts. These include instances such as "stripping girls naked" and "group rape, mutilation, breast cutting, and the killing of a young woman."
Other claims have emerged concerning shootings targeting genitalia, abdomen, legs, and so on.
These assertions, vehemently dismissed by Hamas, have never been validated with concrete evidence, allowing them to linger as mere allegations. Consequently, the Zionists attempt to justify their lack of evidence by demanding proof from others while failing to provide any themselves.
For example, in November, Cochav Elkayam Levy, the head of the "Crimes Against Women" parliamentary committee in Congress, stated that "the majority of victims of sexual assault and other sexual abuses on October 7th were killed and will never be able to testify."
Nevertheless, the reluctance of the Zionist regime to yield to anti-Hamas and anti-Palestinian sentiments did not prevent it from pressuring the United Nations to present a politically biased and unsubstantiated report, authored by "Pramila Patten," which was eventually published nearly six months after Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.
The contrived nature of this report is apparent from the fact that Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, was compelled amidst Zionist concerns about possible rejection by Guterres, on March 3rd, to reassure the United States and the Zionist regime that the "UN Secretary-General will not take any action to suppress this report."
The Zionists have repeatedly accused the United Nations and its Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, of disregarding their regime's allegations regarding sexual assault by Hamas during the October 7th operation.
Hamas: Form a Truth-seeking Committee
In response to the release of this report, Hamas condemned the biased and politically motivated actions of the United Nations representatives. They called for the formation of an international truth-seeking committee, viewing it as an effort to conceal the findings of UN rapporteurs regarding clear evidence of severe violations of the rights of Palestinian women and girls by Zionist occupying forces.
In their official statement, they highlighted that despite the unfounded accusations leveled by Mrs. Patton against Palestinian resistance fighters, her report lacks documented evidence of the alleged victims. Instead, it heavily relies on Israeli institutions, soldiers, and officials. Moreover, they pointed out that all international investigations and reports have contested these claims, and the testimony of Israeli female prisoners released from custody contradicts Mrs. Patten's allegations regarding the conduct of resistance fighters towards them.
The focus of Hamas lies on the numerous accounts provided by the Zionists since October 7, which challenge the assertions made by the UN rapporteur.
For instance, in one incident, a resident named "Rotem" from the "Kfar Gaza" kibbutz settlement in the southwest of the occupied territories expressed surprise at the conduct of the resistance forces in an interview with Channel 12, the Zionist regime's television. She recounted how she and her children were terrified when the resistance forces entered her home, but they reassured her, stating, "Don't worry! We are Muslims and do not harm women and children."
Extensive sexual abuse of Palestinian women
Despite the weaknesses and doubts surrounding the United Nations representative's report against Hamas, evidence of assaults on Palestinian women is steadily mounting.
Recently, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, in dialogue with the French news agency, disclosed fresh testimonies concerning Palestinian women detainees from Gaza. These testimonies unveil instances of sexual violence, torture, inhumane treatment, physical assault, nudity, sexual harassment, and threats of assault by Zionist military forces.
Furthermore, the report highlights the accounts of Palestinian women confined in open cages under harsh conditions, lacking food, medicine, essential medical care, and feminine hygiene products. Continuously threatened with being deprived of seeing their children, they have endured torture.
The documentation by the Euro-Med Monitor team stems from field interviews with numerous women. The organization also suggests that due to cultural and social norms, such as fear and concerns regarding honor and dignity, more detained women face such violations but are hesitant to speak about their harrowing experiences.
In a collective statement, these experts expressed shock at reports of deliberate targeting and unlawful killings of Palestinian women and children in areas of refuge or during escape. According to reports, some were allegedly slain by the Israeli army or its affiliated forces while holding pieces of white fabric.
The age-old sorcery of Zionism: evading punishment by pretending to be a victim
The doubtful revival of the nearly closed and overlooked case involving the purported rape of Israeli women comes at a time when the Zionists and their primary backer, the United States government, face significant international pressure to halt the war and ease the blockade of Gaza due to allegations of genocide and the suffering of civilians. This move appears aimed at mitigating Tel Aviv's tarnished reputation and widespread criticism in the global public opinion arena, especially amidst dwindling support for Hamas’ resistance and Palestinian rights.
Despite five months passing since the Zionists' disproportionate war in Gaza began, the war cabinet of this regime has achieved no tangible progress in freeing captives or dismantling Hamas. Instead, it has faced greater military, human, financial, and political costs. Netanyahu, concerned about the ramifications of admitting defeat against Hamas, is now striving to prolong the war to prevent the potential collapse of his cabinet.
However, at this point, both external and internal support for the war cabinet has diminished, and dissatisfaction and division have even emerged within the cabinet itself, as evidenced by Gantz's recent unauthorized trip to the United States.
Given this context, it appears
that the Zionists perceive reviving the old narrative of victimhood on
the international stage as their last resort for domestic consolidation
and the continuation of the war. Hence, they are banking on the UN
report for this propaganda tactic.
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