A United Nations report published Thursday accused Israeli soldiers of committing rape and other forms of sexual assault against Gazans while the IDF adhered to ‘genocidal’ policies against Palestinian Arabs in the coastal enclave.

The report was drafted by the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, a body established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021, following the conflict that year between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

“Israeli authorities have destroyed in part the reproductive capacity of the Palestinians in Gaza as a group, including by imposing measures intended to prevent births, one of the categories of genocidal acts in the Rome Statute and the Genocide Convention,” the commission argued in its report.

Israel’s sealing of the border after October 7th and restrictions on the entry of goods into Gaza, including a period of “total siege,” were among the examples of alleged genocide claimed by the commission.

“The Commission finds that the [Israel security forces] controlled the entry, the content and the amounts of humanitarian assistance allowed into Gaza and that the ISF deliberately stopped humanitarian assistance which included items essential for pregnant women, new mothers and newborns from reaching Gaza, both through direct attacks and through the imposition of a total siege.”

The commission also claimed to have documented “cases of rape and sexual assault” of male terror suspects held by Israel.

The examples cited included the case of a Hamas terrorist from the elite Nukhba Force who accused Israeli soldiers working as guards at the Sde Teiman detention center of sexually assaulting him.

An attorney representing the soldiers, who are currently facing an investigation into the alleged abuse, said the terrorist in question had injured himself while attempting to smuggle a miniature cell phone in his rectum, and assaulted the accused soldiers after they confronted him.

The commission is chaired by Navi Pillay, a South African jurist accused in the past of anti-Israel bias, following her involvement in the 2001 Durban Conference and the Goldstein Report.

In 2022, she came under fire for defending commission member Miloon Kothari after he denied Israel’s right to be in the UN and claimed that social media platforms were under Jewish control.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu excoriated the commission and the UN Human Rights Council, calling the latter “antisemitic” and accusing it of supporting terrorism.

“The anti-Israel circus known as the UN ‘Human Rights Council’ has long been revealed as an antisemitic, rotten and irrelevant organization that supports terrorism. For good reason Israel decided to quit it approximately one month ago.”

“Instead of focusing on the crimes against humanity and the war crimes that were perpetrated by the Hamas terrorist organization in the worst massacre carried out against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, the UN has again chosen to attack the State of Israel with false accusations, including baseless accusations of sexual violence.”

“This is not a human rights council; it is a blood rights council.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry called Thursday’s report a “blood libel” and a “sick document.”

“It is one of the worst cases of blood libel the world has ever seen (and the world has seen many).”

“It accuses the victims of the crimes committed against them. Hamas is the organization that has committed horrendous sexual crimes against Israelis. It is indeed a sick document that only an antisemitic organization such as the UN could produce.”

By JNS

Israel is taking steps toward possible normalization with Lebanon, as diplomatic representatives will replace military officials in upcoming negotiation talks.

A diplomatic source confirmed to Israel Hayom on Wednesday that these discussions aim to transition to a political-diplomatic track.

Our sources have learned that the next meeting will feature an Israeli diplomatic representative instead of an IDF official, marking an immediate elevation in the talks’ significance.

The strategic shift reflects Israel’s desire to bolster the Lebanese president’s position against armed groups in coordination with the U.S., perhaps paving the way for future normalization of relations between the countries.

Israeli officials point to significant changes in Lebanon’s internal political landscape, noting that Hezbollah‘s political influence has weakened considerably.

But on Wednesday, Lebanon responded to statements made by an Israeli political source who expressed interest in advancing normalization between the countries.

Officials in Beirut categorically denied that the indirect dialogue with Jerusalem would lead to normalization.

Sources in the Lebanese presidential office told Al-Mayadeen channel that assertions about dialogue committees between Israel and Lebanon serving as a prelude to normalization are unfounded.

According to these sources, the three committees established to resolve existing issues with Israel represent a continuation of implementing U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.

The sources emphasized that these committees will not involve direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.

“The committees will address longstanding issues—specifically border disputes and points that have remained contentious since 2006,” the officials said.

While seeking to strengthen moderate elements within Lebanon, Israel remains aware of Hezbollah’s continued presence in the region.

As a security precaution, despite ongoing negotiations, Israel maintains five strategic positions inside Lebanese territory.

The discussions surrounding key positions do not automatically mean Israel will relinquish these areas—Israeli negotiators are expected to present their own security demands to protect border communities.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.