Over 300 activists and scholars demand UN remove rapporteur Reem Alsalem for denying confirmed rape in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.

Over 300 women’s rights activists, rabbis, and scholars have urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to remove Reem Alsalem, the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, after she stated on November 14, 2025, that no independent investigation confirmed rape during Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. The signatories, including Deborah Lipstadt and Rabbi Irving Greenberg, cited two UN reports finding reasonable grounds for sexual violence, calling her denialism harmful and inconsistent with the UN’s stance on gender-based violence. They argue her remarks undermine accountability and enable denial of atrocities. The UN has not yet responded.