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WORLD NEWS Friday 14 March 2025
U.N. report accuses Israel of sexual violence against Palestinians

By JAMEY KEATEN vocacy groups and other
Associated Press rights experts have. Israel,
GENEVA (AP) — United Na- which was established in
tions-backed human rights the wake of the Nazi Holo-
experts on Thursday ac- caust and is home to many
cused Israel of “the system- survivors and their families,
atic use of sexual, repro- has vigorously denied such
ductive and other gender- allegations.
based violence” in its war Israel says it took extraor-
with Hamas in the Gaza dinary measures to avoid
Strip. harming civilians in the
The allegations came in 15-month war, which has
one of the most extensive been paused by a fragile
reports of its kind on the is- ceasefire.
sue since Hamas’ Oct. 7, It blames civilian deaths
2023, attack on southern and destruction on Hamas
Israel ignited the war. because the militants op-
Israeli Prime Minister Ben- erate in residential areas.
jamin Netanyahu lashed Israeli forces carried out a
out at the Human Rights number of raids on hospi-
Council, a U.N.-backed tals, accusing Hamas of
body that commissioned using them for military pur-
the team of independent poses, allegations denied
experts, as an “anti-Israel Chris Sidoti, Member of the Commission, speaks during a press conference about the launch of the by Palestinian health offi-
circus” that “has long been latest report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian cials.
exposed as an antisemitic, Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, at the European headquarters of the United Nations, Pointing to the report, a
rotten, terrorist-supporting, in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday, March 13, 2025. Associated Press Hamas statement urged
and irrelevant body.” His international courts to pros-
statement did not address destruction of Gaza, the when there are violations. ecute Israel’s leaders.
the findings themselves. use of heavy explosives in “Our report finds that Israel Since the commission was The International Criminal
The findings by the Com- civilian areas and Israeli has increasingly employed set up in 2021 long before Court has issued arrest war-
mission of Inquiry on the attacks on hospitals and sexual, reproductive, and the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel rants for Netanyahu and his
Occupied Palestinian Terri- health facilities. It said all other forms of gender- Israel has refused to coop- former defense minister, ac-
tory, which seeks to docu- three led to “disproportion- based violence against erate with it, accusing the cusing them of war crimes,
ment in minute detail the ate violence against wom- Palestinians as part of a investigative team and the which they deny. The court
allegations and evidence en and children.” broader effort to under- council of bias. also issued a warrant in No-
of crimes to bolster ac- The commission docu- mine their right to self-de- Commission member Si- vember for Hamas’ military
countability for perpetra- mented a range of viola- termination,” Chris Sidoti, doti said the report “also leader, but the militants
tors, could be used by pros- tions perpetrated against a member of the commis- concludes that Israel has have since confirmed that
ecutors at the International Palestinian women, men, sion, told reporters in Ge- carried out genocidal acts he was killed.
Criminal Court or in other girls and boys and accused neva. through the systematic The war began when
jurisdictions to try to bring Israeli security forces of Israel’s mission in Geneva destruction of sexual and Hamas-led militants at-
justice to victims and their rape and sexual violence rejected the allegations reproductive health care tacked southern Israel on
relatives. against Palestinian detain- and accused the commis- facilities.” Oct. 7, 2023, killing some
In its report released Thurs- ees. Israel denies any sys- sion of relying on “second- The commission stopped 1,200 people, mostly ci-
day, the commission ex- tematic abuse of prisoners hand, single, uncorroborat- short of accusing Israel of vilians, and taking 251
amined the widespread and says it takes action ed sources.” genocide, as some ad- hostages.q

Measles cases in Europe and Central Asia doubled last year to

the highest reported level since 1997

LONDON (AP) — There were 127,350 mea- mated to be 97% effective in preventing
sles cases reported in Europe and Central the disease, which typically infects the
Asia in 2024, double the number of cases respiratory system and causes symptoms
reported the previous year and the high- including fever, cough, runny nose and a
est number since 1997, according to an rash. In serious cases, measles can cause
analysis by the World Health Organiza- pneumonia, encephalitis, dehydration
tion and UNICEF. In a report published on and blindness.
Thursday, U.N. health experts said Roma- “Measles is back, and it’s a wake-up call,”
nia had the most measles infections, at Dr. Han Kluge, WHO’s Europe director,
more than 30,000, followed by Kazakh- said in a statement. “Without high vacci-
stan, which reported 28,147 people with nation rates, there is no health security.”
measles. UNICEF said that about 40% of WHO and UNICEF noted that in both Bos-
measles infections in Europe and Central nia and Herzegovina and Montenegro,
Asia were in children under 5 and that fewer than 70% and 50% of children in
more than half of all people sickened by those countries respectively have been
measles had to be hospitalized. Measles vaccinated against measles for at least
is among the world’s most infectious dis- the past five years. Scientists estimate that A vial of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is on display
at the Lubbock Health Department Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025,
eases and is spread by an airborne virus. more than 95% of the population needs in Lubbock, Texas.
Two doses of the measles vaccine is esti- to be immunized to prevent outbreaks.q Associated Press