New York: The UN envoy focusing on sexual violence in conflict has said in a new report that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Hamas committed rape, “sexualised torture” and other cruel and inhumane treatment of women during its surprise attack in southern Israel on October 7.

There were also “reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing,” said Pramila Patten, who visited Israel and the West Bank from January 29 to February 14 with a nine-member team.

In the report, she said the team “found clear and convincing information” that some hostages have been subjected to the same forms of conflict-related sexual violence including rape and “sexualised torture”.

Patten’s report said the team’s visit “was neither intended nor mandated to be investigative in nature”.

She said the team was not able to meet with any victims of sexual violence “despite concerted efforts to encourage them to come forward”. However, team members held 33 meetings with Israeli institutions and conducted interview with 34 people including survivors and witnesses of the October 7 attacks, released hostages, health providers and others.

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Based on the information it gathered, Patten said, “there are reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence occurred during the 7 October attacks in multiple locations across Gaza periphery, including rape and gang rape, in at least three locations”.

Across various locations, she said, the team found “that several fully naked or partially naked bodies from the waist down were recovered – mostly women – with hands tied and shot multiple times, often in the head”.

While this was circumstantial, she said the pattern of undressing and restraining victims “may be indicative of some forms of sexual violence”.