Conflict-related sexual violence – Report of the Secretary-General (S/2025/389)

15 July 2025

(This post reproduces only the Gaza-related sections of the report)

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III. Sexual violence in conflict-affected settings

Israel and the State of Palestine:

35. In March 2024, the mission led by my Special Representative found clear and convincing information that some hostages taken to Gaza were subjected to various forms of conflict-related sexual violence during their time in captivity (see S/2024/217). My Special Representative also found reasonable grounds to believe that sexual violence occurred during the attacks of 7 October 2023 in multiple locations, including rape and gang rape. Several fully naked or partially naked bodies from the waist down were recovered – mostly women – with hands tied, who had been shot multiple times, often in the head. Although circumstantial, such a pattern of undressing and restraining of victims may be indicative of some forms of sexual violence. These findings were corroborated by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, which also found reasonable grounds to conclude that sexual violence was committed on 7 October at the Nova festival, on Road 232, at the Nahal Oz military outpost and at kibbutzim Re’im, Nir Oz and Kfar Aza (see A/HRC/56/CRP.3). The Commission of Inquiry also received credible information about some hostages being subjected to sexual and gender-based violence, including sexualized torture, while in captivity (see A/79/232). Both my Special Representative and the Commission of Inquiry found that the 7 October attacks were led and coordinated by Hamas, joined by other Palestinian armed groups, including the military arms of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Popular Resistance Committees and the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement, as well as civilians from Gaza. My Special Representative concluded that the complexity and modus operandi of the attacks demonstrated a significant level of planning, coordination and detailed prior knowledge of the targets selected (see S/2024/217). In May 2024, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court submitted applications for warrants for the arrest of three political and military commanders of Hamas, citing reasonable grounds to believe that they bear criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including rape and other forms of sexual violence, committed on the territory of Israel and the State of Palestine from at least 7 October 2023. These proceedings were halted by the Court following confirmation of their deaths. Throughout 2024, the Government of Israel continued to engage with my Special Representative and established an interministerial “National Committee for Gender Violence focusing on the 7 October 2023 attacks”, but did not grant access to relevant United Nations bodies to carry out fully fledged and independent investigations. My Special Representative engaged with relevant judicial actors and families of hostages. During the reporting period, Hamas did not grant humanitarian access to hostages.
36. Military operations in Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces and hostilities in Gaza following the 7 October attacks have resulted in a catastrophic humanitarian situation. Since November 2023, Israeli armed and security forces have arrested and detained thousands of Palestinian men, women and children, with a dramatic deterioration in conditions of detention. The United Nations verified 12 incidents of conflict-related sexual violence perpetrated by Israeli armed and security forces, including the Israel Defense Forces, the Israel Prison Service including the “Nachshon” Unit and Keter special forces, the Israel Security Agency (also known as Shin Bet) and the Police Counter-Terrorism Unit (Yamam), in Naqab/Ketziot and Ofer prisons and Etzion detention centre against seven Palestinian men, including one rape; one attempted rape; three incidents of squeezing or pulling detainees’ genitals; and seven incidents of kicking, or beatings to, genitals. These detainees also reported forced public nudity and repeated strip searches conducted in an abusive and degrading manner. In addition, the Commission of Inquiry documented at least two cases of rape and four incidents of violence to the genitals by Israeli armed and security forces against Palestinian male detainees in Naqab/Ketziot and Megiddo prisons and Sde Teiman military base (see A/HRC/58/CRP.6). The Commission of Inquiry also received credible information of detainees subjected to burns to the anus (see A/79/232). Outside of detention settings, two incidents of genital beating and kicking at a checkpoint and during a house raid in the West Bank were verified. In Gaza, Palestinian men, women and children were subjected to prolonged forced nudity, including being forced to walk naked in public. In 10 of these instances, victims were filmed or photographed by Israeli armed and security forces (A/HRC/58/CRP.6). Given the lack of access to detention settings, the cases verified by the United Nations should be seen as indicative rather than comprehensive. Challenges to reporting sexual violence persisted due to lack of trust in complaints mechanisms, the fear of reprisals, shame and stigma. Israeli authorities provided information on standard operating procedures and orders related to detention, complaints and supervision or oversight mechanisms, including judicial oversight measures, although they provided limited information regarding accountability measures for incidents of sexual violence, despite the availability of witness testimony and digital evidence of such violence.

Recommendation

37. I call for the immediate, unconditional and dignified release of all hostages, while ensuring their humane treatment and for humanitarian access to them pending their release. I also call for the restoration of the ceasefire and hostage release deal and its full implementation. I reiterate my call to the Government of Israel to grant unfettered access to relevant United Nations bodies to carry out fully fledged investigations into all alleged violations, including conflict-related sexual violence. I continue to call for accountability with due process of law for conflict-related sexual violence committed during the 7 October attacks and in their aftermath. I urge the Government of Israel to release Palestinians who were arbitrarily detained, ensure that Palestinian prisoners are released in a dignified way, investigate and prosecute all allegations of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees, ensure humane treatment for all those held and implement prevention measures, including granting unhindered humanitarian access to detention facilities.

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VI. Recommendations

85. The following recommendations focus on sustaining life-saving multisectoral services in conflict settings and reconfiguring capacities to address conflict-related sexual violence during withdrawals, drawdowns and transitions of United Nations peace operations and should be read in conjunction with those presented in my previous reports.
86. I recommend that the Security Council:

(a) Call upon all parties to conflict to immediately cease all forms of conflict-related sexual violence in compliance with relevant Security Council resolutions and international humanitarian law, and provide the United Nations and humanitarian actors with unhindered humanitarian access to conflict-affected areas in order to reach survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in need of multisectoral assistance; call upon parties to conflict to respect and protect humanitarian and United Nations personnel, in line with resolution 2730 (2024), and ensure that civilian objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population in conflict zones, including those delivering essential services to survivors, are spared from attacks amid hostilities, in accordance with international humanitarian law;

(b) Encourage all State and non-State parties to conflict to adopt time-bound commitments to prevent and address conflict-related sexual violence in line with Security Council resolutions 1960 (2010), 2106 (2013) and 2467 (2019), and monitor their compliance, including through the Informal Expert Group on Women and Peace and Security;

(c) Ensure that sexual violence is systematically monitored and incorporated as a stand-alone designation criterion for targeted sanctions; ensure that sanctions committees have expertise on conflict-related sexual violence; and consider applying sanctions to persistent perpetrators who have appeared in the list annexed to the present report for five or more years without taking remedial or corrective action;

(d) Ensure that mandate authorizations and renewals of peace operations integrate measures to prevent protection gaps, including during mission drawdowns and withdrawals in accordance with resolution 2594 (2021); and ensure the inclusion of dedicated operational provisions on addressing conflict-related sexual violence, including the retention and accelerated deployment of women’s protection advisers to United Nations peace operations and offices of resident and humanitarian coordinators in all relevant situations of concern, in line with Security Council resolution 2467 (2019);

(e) Give due consideration to examining the risks of civilians in detention settings being subjected to violations of international law, including conflict-related sexual violence, and solicit further relevant information on the latter from the Office of my Special Representative and relevant United Nations entities in order to deepen the evidence-base for action;

(f) Consider referring, pursuant to article 13, paragraph (b) of the Rome Statute, to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court relevant situations in which crimes of sexual violence, as defined in its Statute, appear to have been committed.

87. I encourage Member States:

(a) To adopt a survivor-centred approach to preventing and addressing conflict-related sexual violence that empowers survivors by prioritizing their rights, specific needs and aspirations; and promote an enabling environment for survivors to seek support on a non-discriminatory basis, including through scaled-up funding for gender-based violence services, including HIV prevention, healthcare, safe termination of pregnancy, psychosocial and legal services and reintegration measures;

(b) To provide earmarked contributions for the deployment of women’s protection advisers to all situations of concern covered in the present report so as to support the work of national authorities, survivors’ networks, women-led organizations and service providers, and to advance implementation of joint communiqués/frameworks of cooperation on conflict-related sexual violence;

(c) To foster a gender- and age-responsive security sector through effective oversight and accountability mechanisms, and prevent credibly suspected perpetrators from being recruited, retained or promoted within the security forces, armed forces or reserve armed forces;

(d) To adopt national legislation on arms control and ammunition management in line with relevant international instruments, so as to bolster the prevention of conflict-related sexual violence;

(e) To strengthen accountability by adopting legislation drawing on the Model Legislative Provisions and Guidance on the Investigation and Prosecution of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, enhancing the investigation and prosecution of conflict-related sexual violence through appropriate judicial mechanisms, regardless of the rank or affiliation of the perpetrator, and promoting transformative reparations; and to develop forensic capacities.

88. I encourage all stakeholders, including Member States, donors and regional and intergovernmental organizations:

(a) To address chronic funding shortfalls by providing predictable financial support to the conflict-related sexual violence multi-partner trust fund for the work of the United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict network in delivering multisectoral services; and support the work of the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict in the areas of justice and accountability;

(b) To ensure that provisions on prohibiting and addressing conflict-related sexual violence are duly integrated into the design and implementation of peace, ceasefire or cessation of hostilities agreements and/or subsequent agreements, and ensure the exclusion of such crimes from amnesties and statutes of limitations; and promote the full and meaningful participation of women and survivors in political, peacemaking and peacebuilding and humanitarian response processes;

(c) To create an enabling environment for women active in public life, including women human rights defenders, humanitarians, journalists and peacebuilders and those working directly on conflict-related sexual violence, and establish measures, including urgent response mechanisms to address reprisals, including for cooperation with the United Nations;

(d) To support the provision of training for personnel in relevant United Nations entities, including United Nations field operations undergoing transitions and phased drawdowns, on the prevention and response to conflict-related sexual violence and early warning preparedness.

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Annex

List of parties credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence in situations of armed conflict on the agenda of the Security Council

Parties in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Non-State actors

Hamas.