Israel categorically rejects the unfounded allegations made by the Commission of Inquiry

Israel categorically rejects the unfounded allegations made by the Commission of Inquiry in its latest report regarding the so-called ‘systematic’ use of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) by the Israeli Defense Forces.

The CoI instrumentalizes sexual violence to advance its predetermined and biased political agenda, setting back the important work of international institutions to combat the perpetration of these abhorrent acts as weapons of war.

In a shameless attempt to incriminate the IDF and manufacture the illusion of ‘systematic’ use of SGBV, the CoI deliberately adopts a lower level of corroboration in its report, which allowed it to include information from second-hand single uncorroborated sources. This is inconsistent with established UN verification standards and methodologies.

This means that Israeli forces are subject to an entirely different standard than any other actor—any unsubstantiated information that supports the CoI’s predetermined narrative is deemed credible, even if not verified. Indeed, the CoI applied different standards in its June 2024 determinations on the use of sexual violence by Hamas on October 7th, where only corroborated information was presented.Disposing of existing standards set forth in the OHCHR Guidance and Practice in the present report, demonstrates the extent to which the CoI is willing to distort reality to its desired political agenda. The same disregard for logic, fairness, and due process standards is evident in the public hearings held on March 11–12 by the CoI, which were nothing short of a publicity stunt. Some speakers did not introduce themselves, they were asked leading questions, and the proceedings were framed to support the CoI narrative.
The IDF has concrete directives, procedures, orders, and policies, which unequivocally prohibit such misconduct. Furthermore, comprehensive oversight and enforcement mechanisms are in place to ensure that incidents of alleged misconduct, including of alleged sexual violence, are examined and investigated, in accordance with the relevant international norms and standards. General information on the manner in which the IDF addresses alleged misconduct in the context of the war in Gaza can be found at the IDF website and at the government of Israel website. 

ENDS