The UN envoy for sexual violence is facing criticism for not attending a meeting on Hamas' hostages held in Gaza.

The UN expert criticized the organization for not having its top sexual violence in conflict expert speak to Security Council members during a meeting about Hamas's hostage situation in Gaza on Thursday.

The director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, and president of Human Rights Voices, Anne Bayefsky, stated on Planet Chronicle Digital that it is astonishing that the U.N. cannot provide an official representative to speak about mass sexual atrocities committed by Palestinians against Jews during an unofficial Security Council meeting.

On Tuesday, the Times of Israel reported that Pramila Patten, the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, withdrew from a scheduled appearance before an informal Security Council meeting about the sexual crimes committed against hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7.

The session on October 7, titled "Condemning hostage-taking in Israel as a psychological tool of terrorism," is planned for Thursday.

The diplomat claimed that the decision was politically motivated because her office has been pressured to prioritize the plight of Israeli hostages over that of Palestinians caught in the middle of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

The Times of Israel account has been independently confirmed by Planet Chronicle Digital. During its invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, Hamas killed nearly 1,200 people and abducted over 250 people. Hamas also committed sustained sexual violence on many people during the massacre.

The U.S. mission to the U.N. organized the first meeting on the topic, while Israel's Ambassador Gilad Erdan stated that the Security Council meeting was the result of an unceasing diplomatic effort to release hostages and put pressure on Hamas.

Geraldine Boezio, a spokesperson for Patten, stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that although she cannot attend the Arria formula meeting, the Special Representative supports any process that leads to the release of hostages. It is important to note that the Office of the UN Special Representative and the Government of Israel are currently having productive bilateral discussions on how to address sexual violence in conflict. These discussions are ongoing.

Since December 2023, Special Representative Patten has consistently called for the release of all hostages in Gaza in various public statements. Her Office's report on its mission to Israel and the occupied West Bank, released in March 2024, had clear and unambiguous findings and recommendations regarding the hostages, which were a significant aspect of her statement to the U.N. Security Council's special session on the report held on 11 March 2024. In her recent public remarks to the U.N. Security Council at its Open Debate on the Annual Report of the UN Secretary-General on conflict-related sexual violence, Special Representative Patten reiterated these findings and recommendations.

Bayefsky stated that the U.N. Secretary-General rejected including Hamas or any other Palestinian rapist or violent sexual offender on his annual list of parties suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence in situations of armed conflict, which was to be discussed in the Security Council.

"U.N. Special Rapporteurs Francesca Albanese and Reem Alsalem have been promoting the false claim that Israelis did the same thing to Palestinians as Palestinians were accused of doing to Israelis. Despite evidence to the contrary, this narrative is popular in U.N. circles."

In December, Planet Chronicle Digital reported that the Jordanian Alsalem issued a statement on the U.N. website in November condemning Israel for alleged violence against Palestinian women, but did not explicitly condemn Hamas for carrying out rapes and sexual assaults against Israeli women and girls. The majority of Alsalem's press release focused on blaming Israel for the alleged violence against Palestinian women. Alsalem declined to comment at the time.

Israel's government has frequently urged United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to resign due to his perceived inadequacy in addressing Hamas terrorism and the organization's sexual offenses. Recently, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticized Guterres for standing "in solidarity with the rapists and murderers of Hamas" by failing to mention Hamas' sexual violence crimes in a report titled "Conflict-related sexual violence."

Guterres' spokesman, Farhan Aziz Haq, flatly rejected criticism against Guterres, stating on Planet Chronicle Digital that the allegations were false. Haq said, "The Secretary-General made clear his horror at all the killings, rapes, and abductions that took place on October 7 from the first hours of the attack, and he has repeatedly called for all reports of sexual violence to be investigated."

Pramila Patten, who has visited Israel, briefed the Security Council and the media on her findings. We prioritize supporting rape victims and ensuring they are heard.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, refused to comment on Patten's attendance when asked by Planet Chronicle Digital.