SAEDNEWS: Hamas has rejected the UN chief's accusations of sexual violence related to the events of October 7, 2023, based on “fabricated” and “politically motivated” Israeli narratives without conducting any impartial investigation.
In a statement on Friday, the Gaza-based resistance movement expressed its “firm rejection” and “strong condemnation: of the report issued by Guterres on August 14, which included the group in the “blacklist” of perpetrators of sexual crimes.
“This step is legally invalid, contradicts the facts, and reflects the double standards that continue to undermine the credibility of the international system,” read the statement.
According to the resistance group, the inclusion is not based on “independent and neutral field investigations”, nor does it adhere to internationally recognized standards of proof.
“Instead, it totally relies on fabricated and politically motivated Israeli narratives, without conducting any impartial investigation or contacting the alleged victims, constituting a blatant violation of the professional principles outlined in relevant UN resolutions,” it pointed out.
The statement further criticized the UN report for failing to include the Israeli regime in the list despite the availability of hundreds of documented pieces of evidence in reports by UN investigative commissions, independent international rights organizations, and special rapporteurs.
“[They] all prove that the occupation forces have committed systematic acts of sexual violence against Palestinian civilians, including rape and other forms of sexual assaults, as part of the genocidal war they are waging on the Gaza Strip,” the statement noted.
“This blatant double standard represents a serious deviation from the principle of equality before international law and a crude politicization of UN mechanisms, threatening their integrity and turning them into tools to whitewash the crimes of the occupation rather than holding it accountable.”
Hamas urged the UN Secretary-General and Security Council to “immediately withdraw this unjust decision” and launch an independent and impartial international investigation, supervised by a committee of international experts, into all allegations of sexual violence related to the war with the Zionist enemy.
The resistance group warned that the “politicization of international justice” and the double standards in applying international humanitarian law undermine trust in the UN system.
“[It will also] encourage real perpetrators to continue their crimes with impunity, exacerbating the suffering of people under occupation,” it concluded.
