Israel has accused the United Nations of delayed responsiveness to the claims, an allegation the UN staunchly defended while releasing a report presenting evidence of Hamas-related rapes and assaults.

The central point of contention revolves around the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), which faced funding withdrawals from several Western nations after Israel implicated around a dozen of its employees in the October 7 attack.

On Monday, UNRWA claimed that Israel had tortured some of its staff members. Simultaneously, the Israeli military asserted that over 450 individuals employed by UNRWA were “terrorists.”

The military also released alleged recordings of a “terrorist,” identified as an Arabic teacher at an UNRWA school, describing his entry into Israeli territory and claiming to hold female Israeli hostages following the October 7 attack, France 24 reported.

The Hamas attack in southern Israel resulted in approximately 1,160 deaths, primarily civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

In response, Israel’s offensive in Gaza reportedly caused over 30,500 casualties, predominantly women and children, according to the latest figures from Gaza’s health ministry under Hamas.

Israel asserts that around 250 hostages were taken by militants, with 130 still in Gaza, including 31 presumed dead.

Written by B.C. Begley