UN report validates ‘clear and convincing’ allegations of Hamas sexual violence

(JTA) — A United Nations report validated Israeli reports of sexual violence committed by Hamas during its Oct. 7 invasion of Israel and afterward, including instances of rape.

The 24-page report, based on a 17-day investigation spanning January and February, supports a claim that Israel and its supporters have stressed in the months since Oct. 7: that rape and sexual assault were part and parcel of the atrocities committed by Hamas that day, and suffered later by the hostages it took to Gaza.

But the report has also angered the Israeli government, which has accused the…