UN envoy on sexual violence bemoans hostage crisis, ‘horrified’ by deaths in Gaza

The UN’s envoy on sexual violence in conflict urges Security Council members to put themselves in the shoes of the hostages and their families.

“156 days have passed since the abduction of their loved ones, with no less than 16 women among the hostages,” Pramila Patten says during a session on her report about the Hamas-led sexual violence on October 7 and afterward. Israel believes 19 women remain hostage.

“On the one hand, nothing can justify the deliberate violence perpetrated by Hamas and other armed groups on the seventh of October against Israel,” Patten says. “On the other hand, nothing can also justify the collective punishment of the people in Gaza, which has left tens of thousands of Palestinians killed and injured.”

“I must also state that I’m horrified by the injustice of women and children being killed in Gaza by countless bombs and gunfire, and I’m also outraged by the level of deaths and pain of entire families, often generations wiped out,” she adds.