A NEWLY published report has revealed the extent of Israel's "systematic" gendered and sexualised violence against Palestinians.
The report, titled A Predatory State: Israeli Systematic Sexualised and Gendered Violence Against Palestinians, presents evidence of abuse through survivor and witness testimonies.
Published by both Progressive International and the Palestinian Feminist Collective, it analyses personal accounts, supplied to international press, NGOs, and human rights organisations.
Testimonies revealed Israeli forces had subjected victims to "sexual slurs, forced nudity, forced stripping, forced witnessing of sexual acts, threats of sexual assault".
In some cases, victims told of "rape by IOF [Israeli Occupation Forces] personnel, rape with a range of objects such as batons, phones, metal rods and rape by trained dogs".
One 26-year-old female Palestinian prisoner is quoted recalling the threats she received during a transfer between prisons.
"During our trip to the unknown, the soldier kept telling us, 'You are all finished. We will do to you the same Hamas did to our women. Hamas raped our women, and we will let the soldiers rape you.'
"All the way, he showered me with the most offensive words in Arabic, such as calling me ‘whore and bitch’ and many other honour-related insults," she said.
While many incidents included the targeting of women and girls, this was not exclusive, and men and boys also provided testimonies of sexual assault.
Journalist Sami Al-Saei's testimony of his rape and abuse in detention in Megidoo Prison in March of 2024 is noted.
He has spoken publicly to the press about the incident and, on his ordeal, said: "I was hoping to die and be done with that, as the pain was not only caused by the rape, but also from the severe and painful beating."
He added: “I could not stay silent. I have a moral responsibility to say what happened to me and other prisoners.”
The recorded crimes are reported to have taken place across various locations, including in detention facilities, prisons, arrest locations and in private spaces.
The authors concluded in their findings: "Those who have survived to speak offer a glimpse into the devastating impacts of the gendered and sexualised violence on themselves as victims, their families and communities.
"The bare minimum they are owed is for the world's people of conscience to listen and act.
"The sheer depravity combined with the breadth and scope of the sexualised violence detailed in this report reveals an intent not only to dehumanise and terrorise Palestinians but also to eliminate them through ethnic cleansing and mass murder."
The report follows a commission by the United Nations (UN) published in March, which concluded that Israel was committing “genocidal acts” in Palestine by systematically carrying out acts of sexual violence.
It found that the frequency and severity of Israel using systematic sexual, reproductive and other forms of gender-based violence had risen since October 2023.
“The evidence collected by the Commission reveals a deplorable increase in sexual and gender-based violence,” said Navi Pillay, chair of the commission.
“There is no escape from the conclusion that Israel has employed sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians to terrorise them and perpetuate a system of oppression that undermines their right to self-determination.”
