AJC Applauds UN Secretary-General’s Blacklisting of Hamas for Sexual Violence

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, welcomes the UN Secretary-General's decision to blacklist Hamas for patterns of sexual violence in conflict in the recently released Report of the Secretary-General on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence for 2024.

Today's UN designation validates the substantial evidence that Hamas used rape and sexual violence systematically as part of a coordinated attack intended to dehumanize and destroy Israelis, both on Oct. 7, 2023, and against hostages thereafter.

Clear to many observers since the terrible attacks of Oct. 7 and corroborated by witnesses and survivors, including former hostages, the UN report released today also echoes the findings of a landmark July 2025 report by the Dinah Project, which details all available evidence and provides the legal justification for attributing responsibility for sexual violence to Hamas. AJC's Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights provided important support for the Dinah Project's effort.

Today's UN designation - like the 2024 visit to Israel and report by UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Pramila Patten that preceded it - is a sharp rebuke of those who continue to deny these heinous atrocities.

In light of the Secretary-General's decision, AJC urges UN Member States to directly condemn Hamas' use of conflict-related sexual violence at the UN Security Council's Open Debate on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence on August 19. All states should recognize Hamas' use of sexual violence as further reason to designate Hamas as a terror organization, and as clear evidence that any future for the Palestinian people cannot and must not include an emboldened Hamas - which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., EU, and others; continues to hold hostages in Gaza and commit war crimes; and openly declares its intention to destroy Israel. Hamas must be compelled to release the remaining hostages immediately, give up its weapons, and allow for a future in which the peace and security of both Israel and the Palestinian people can be secured.

In the wake of this important designation, it is also incumbent on governments to take further action individually and through international institutions to ensure that victims of Hamas' sexual violence, like all victims, receive the recognition, redress, and justice they deserve.

AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 regional offices across the United States, 15 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC's mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. For more, please visit www.ajc.org .

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