Last week, former hostage Aviva Siegel told the UN Committee Against Torture of the abuses she witnessed while in captivity.
"I am witness to one of the girls who was with us, that the Hamas terrorist came to the bathroom, told her to get undressed, came into the shower with her, and forced her to do oral sex," she recounted.
"And she had to smile after she did that too.
"I am a witness of one of the girls who was forced to take a shower. She is 16 years old, she's never ever shown anybody her body, the Hamas terrorist just stood there and stared and smiled.
"One of the days, one of the girls went to the bathroom, and when she came back, she was shaking.
"She's young… and after a while she told us a Hamas terrorist touched her whole body and did whatever he wanted. She was so scared because he said to her that if she said anything about it, he would kill her."
United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women Reem Alsalem (L) and UN Human Rights Officer Orlagh McCann (R) address a press conference in Ankara on July 27, 2022 (Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images
It comes after Reem Alsalem, the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, sparked outrage by denying that any rape occurred during the October 7 attacks, despite multiple witness testimonies.
"No Palestinian cheered for rape in Gaza. No independent investigation has found that rape occurred on October 7," she wrote on X.
Her remarks prompted backlash from Israeli officials, with Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, calling them a “moral disgrace”.
"Any UN representative who denies rape by Hamas must be removed from her position. Period. This is a stain on the UN’s reputation,” he said.
Her claims also appear to conflict with a 2024 report authored by Pramila Patten, the UN’s special representative of the secretary-general on sexual violence in conflict.
While Patten did not find conclusive proof of rape, she did report “reasonable grounds” to believe that it took place based on the circumstantial evidence, including several victims’ bodies being found partially undressed and in compromising positions.
“We saw a catalogue of the most extreme and inhumane forms of torture and other horrors,” said Patten.
