The UN Security Council is scheduled to convene on Monday to discuss the findings of a report on Hamas' sexual violence during the October 7 massacre.
The Security Council, currently presided over by Japan, has scheduled the discussion following a request from Israel, which was made as an "end run" around UN Secretary-General António Guterres, whom Israeli assessments predicted would not call for a Security Council meeting under his own authority—a prediction that proved accurate.
Following Israel's appeal to eight Council members, three countries—the U.S., UK, and France—demanded an emergency session, which has now been set to convene.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced he would join the session alongside UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan, whom he recalled for consultations earlier in the week, and families of the hostages.
"Japan has confirmed the meeting will take place next Monday afternoon, following pressure applied with the U.S. and other entities on Japan, the current president of the Security Council, to expedite the discussion," he said.
"This is a significant achievement and a victory against attempts by the UN secretary-general to remove this issue from the agenda and postpone it. I plan to arrive with the families of the hostages to present all acts of terror and crimes committed by Hamas, to demand the UN designate Hamas as a terrorist organization, and to call for the immediate release of all hostages."
The discussion is scheduled for Monday at 10 pm Israel time. This will be the council's first session since the October 7 massacre, focusing on the atrocities committed by Hamas and the status of the hostages. It will examine the findings of the report by Pramila Patten, the UN under-secretary-general and special representative of Secretary-General Guterres on sexual violence in conflict zones.
The report determined that during the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, sexual violence was employed, including instances of rape, gang rape, necrophilia, genital mutilation, enforced nudity and the binding of bodies, among other atrocities.
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Additionally, the report confirms that hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have been subjected to sexual violence, and it is believed that such abuse continues.
However, the report notes that given the time frame and the professional capacity of the team, it is currently unable to attribute all such acts to Hamas, considering the possibility that some were committed by Islamic Jihad terrorists or Gazan civilians who infiltrated Israel following the initial attack.