In a recent statement, United Nations expert Reem Alsalem condemned Israel’s treatment of Palestinian women and girls, terming it as ‘femi-genocide.’ Alsalem, who serves as the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against Women and Girls, accused the Israeli government of committing acts with the “intent to destroy” the continuity of the Palestinian people. Her alarming remarks highlighted the severity of the situation, indicating that existing legal and criminal frameworks fall short in addressing such extreme actions.
The situation in Gaza, particularly concerning the experience of women, is dire. Alsalem expressed her deep concern about reports of sexual violence, including rape, perpetrated by Israeli forces. Such actions, she stated, contribute to a “climate of desperation” within the civilian population. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory has corroborated these claims, noting that Israel has employed sexual and gender-based violence as a method of war and a means of undermining Palestinian self-determination, as detailed in a report from March 2025.
Alsalem’s comments surfaced amid the introduction of her report on sex-based violence against women and girls to the UN Human Rights Council. In this report, she underscored the importance of recognizing biological sex as a determinant of violence. She warned that overlooking sex-based violence in legislation and policy-making obscures its root causes and hampers international efforts to hold perpetrators accountable.
The legal frameworks for prosecuting sex-based violence remain inadequate on the international stage. As highlighted by Alsalem, instruments like the 1948 Genocide Convention do not explicitly include gender-based violence within the core definition of genocide. Instead, they classify it as a secondary crime, thus failing to recognize its potential as a central tool of genocidal intent.
A parallel observation is made in a broader context, where international legal mechanisms have often struggled to address gender-based violence as a component of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Numerous experts and legal analysts have long advocated for more inclusive legal interpretations to ensure accountability and justice for victims of such violence.
This issue has garnered widespread attention from international human rights organizations, prompting calls for a more robust legal response to what many perceive as systemic gender-based oppression in conflict zones. The current scenario in Gaza, underscored by the UN expert’s statement, represents a pressing challenge for international law and human rights advocacy going forward.