Israel says UN report alleging ‘genocidal’ attacks on Gaza women ‘among worst blood libels ever’

Israel says a UN report alleging “genocidal” attacks on women’s reproductive health in Gaza and systematic use of sexual violence as a tool in war is on par with the most damaging antisemitic conspiracy theories throughout history.

“It is one of the worst cases of blood libel the world has ever seen (and the world has seen many),” the Foreign Ministry says in a tweet. “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.”

The term blood libel historically referred to accusations against Jews in Europe of using Christian blood for ritual purposes, which often inspired deadly attacks on Jews, but has in recent years been adopted as a phrase used to denote especially malignant claims against Israel or Jews.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Daniel Meron, tells The Times of Israel that the UN report “is yet another example of the blood libel that actors within the UN perpetuate against Israel in a futile attempt to accuse it of acts that were never committed, while diverting attention from the war crimes of terrorist organizations and the states that support them.”

He adds, “Instead of fabricating accusations, it is time for the UN to explicitly condemn Hamas for its actions and to expose in its discussions the horrific sexual violence committed against Israelis on October 7 and afterward.”

The Permanent Mission of Israel to the UN in Geneva says in a press release that the Commission of Inquiry “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.”

#PressRelease Israel categorically rejects the unfounded allegations made by the Commission of Inquiry pic.twitter.com/R5RvIrEpdU

— Israel in UN/Geneva???????????????? | #BringThemHome (@IsraelinGeneva) March 12, 2025