UN asks Israel for access to investigate claims of sexual violence by Hamas during October 7 attack, but get no response
- Volker Turk, the UN’s high commissioner for human rights said he had repeatedly asked Israel for access to investigate the claims, with no response
- The UN has face criticism over its lacklustre response to the alleged rapes and other sexual violence committed during Hamas’s attack inside Israel on October 7

The UN rights chief voiced deep concern on Wednesday over allegations of sexual violence by Hamas militants during their October 7 attack, calling on Israel to allow his team in to investigate.
“These are very, very serious allegations and they need to be investigated, they need to be properly documented,” Volker Turk, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, told a press conference.
“Justice must be served for the victims,” he said, stressing that he had repeatedly asked Israel for access to investigate the claims, with no response.
Turk’s comments came amid mounting criticism of the UN over its lacklustre response to the alleged rapes and other sexual violence committed during Hamas’s unprecedented attack inside Israel on October 7.

Even before forensic examinations began, an abundance of images pointed to the gruesome nature of the attacks, with pictures shared online and live footage streamed by the militants as they killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to an Israeli count.