The following statements were issued by Resistance News Network on March 5, 2024.

Hamas

We, in the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), reject and strongly condemn the report issued by U.N. official Pramila Patten, regarding the claim and allegations of Palestinian resistance fighters committing “rape and sexual violence” incidents during the events of October 7.

This came after failed “israeli” attempts to prove this false charge, which was confirmed to have no basis in truth, except to demonize the Palestinian resistance and to cover up the United Nations rapporteurs’ report about the existence of conclusive evidence of horrific human rights violations suffered by Palestinian women and girls by the “israeli” occupation forces. 

Despite Ms. Patten’s claims and her false and baseless accusations against the Palestinian fighters, her report did not document any testimony of what she calls victims of those cases, but relied in her report on “israeli” institutions, soldiers, and witnesses selected by the occupation authorities, to push toward trying to prove this false charge, which was refuted by all investigations and international reports. 

Ms. Patten’s claims are clearly contradicted by the testimonies of “israeli” women about the good treatment by the fighters towards them, as well as the testimonies of the released “israeli” female prisoners, and what they confirmed of the good treatment they received during their captivity in Gaza. 

This false accusation will not succeed in obscuring the ugliness and horror of the “israeli” crimes committed in the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the killing of about 40,000 Palestinians, most of them women, children, and civilians, in a mass crime and ethnic cleansing, and a deliberate disregard for the resolutions of the International Court of Justice and other international reports, which documented parts of the crimes and atrocities committed in Gaza by the new Nazis. 

Central Media Office for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine 

The statements made by U.N. Envoy Patton are disgraceful, false, and biased towards the entity.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine has strongly condemned the statements made by U.N. Envoy Pramila Patton that accused “the resistance factions in Gaza of committing sexual violence crimes, torture, and harsh treatment against hostages and detainees on October 7.” These statements are shameful, far from the truth, and biased towards the entity.

The Front clarified that the purpose of these statements is to cover up the brutal crimes and practices of the occupation against our Palestinian people, which are fully documented by the United Nations and international institutions. By contrast, this U.N. envoy did not rely on any reliable evidence of the resistance factions having committed any such practices; instead, she relied on reports and testimonies of Zionist origin that have been proven false.

The Front added: “Since the beginning of its war of genocide on the [Gaza] Strip, the zionist enemy, in its attempt to justify this crime against the Strip, has spread lies and fabricated narratives and stories about the resistance factions on October 7. However, in light of the absence of clear evidence, the publication of fabricated videos, and their exposure to the global public opinion, it forced heads of states, international institutions, and media entities to apologize.”

The Front emphasized that the resistance, with testimonials from international institutions and even by the admission of the released detainees and hostages, ensured to uphold ethics and good treatment of detainees, providing all forms of comfort and even protecting them from Zionist bombing and treachery. 

At the same time, the world was shocked by the proven and documented reports and testimonies of the occupation committing sexual violence and torture against a large number of women during their arrest and detention in Khan Younis and other areas penetrated in the Gaza Strip.

The Front concluded its statement by calling on the U.N. envoy to retract and apologize for these dubious statements, to cease the double standard policy and equating the victim with the executioner, and to conduct a serious investigation into the ongoing practices of genocide in the Gaza Strip – not to cover up these crimes or attempt to absolve the occupation, which has been intensified due to the lawsuit filed by South Africa in the International Court of Justice, revealing the atrocious reality of these crimes to the entire world.