The ICC must investigate Israel’s genocidal use of sexual violence

Before the events of October 2023, human rights organisations had for decades documented allegations of sexual violence and abuse against Palestinian detainees held in Israeli custody. Since October 2023, these organisations have reported a marked increase in the frequency and severity of such violations, documenting brutal assaults perpetrated by Israeli prison guards and soldiers. Al Jazeera’s recently released documentary, Bodies of Evidence , offers shocking personal testimonies from Palestinian survivors and more details about the inner workings of the system that has enabled the commission of sexual torture against Palestinian women, men and children. With the accumulation of this evidence, a disturbing picture is emerging of a broader pattern of sexual violence in the Israeli detention system aimed at humiliation, domination, dehumanisation, and destruction. It increasingly appears that Israel has weaponised sexual violence as part of its genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people. Israel has used a vast detention system to control the occupied Palestinian population since 1967. According to estimates, more than 750,000 Palestinians have been held in Israeli prisons since then. Currently, there are at least 9,500 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, including more than 360 children. Around 3,500 Palestinians are being held in “administrative detention” – i.e. without charge or trial. …