Report: Israeli forces strip, rape pregnant Gazan woman in public

Israel's claim of having "the most moral army in the world" is not borne out by the facts (PHOTO)

Palestinian women have frequently reported being raped or threatened with rape by Israeli soldiers. This incident is particularly horrific.

By Kathryn Shihadah

Gazan journalist Hossam Shabat reports a testimony from al Shifa Hospital:

“A husband and wife, along with their young children who were displaced, sought shelter at Al Shifa Hospital.

“The pregnant wife was forcibly undressed by Israeli forces despite informing them of her pregnancy; they continued to kick her.

“Then, they assaulted and raped her in front of her family and other men, threatening to shoot her husband and the other men if they closed their eyes.

The Watan news site adds that the woman was 5 months pregnant.

In another incident, Middle East Monitor reports, a Canadian physician was informed that a woman had been raped for two days until she lost her ability to speak.

Another woman at the Nasr Hospital was stripped of her clothing by Israeli soldiers in front of her husband and brother, and when one of them took their clothes off to cover her the Israeli soldiers killed both her brother and husband.

In January, the ICJ ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention and ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts against Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel, however, described the allegations as baseless, maintaining its mantra that it has the “most moral army in the world”.

This article has been updated: a portion was removed that referenced an account of rape that was later found to be a second-hand account, not an eyewitness.

Kathryn Shihadah is an editor and staff writer for If Americans Knew. She also blogs occasionally at Palestine Home.and has a column called Grace-Colored Glasses on Patheos.