TORONTO, Canada

The UN stressed Wednesday the need for a swift investigation because of reports of Israeli soldiers displaying undergarments of Palestinian women. 

Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, responded to Anadolu's question about soldiers filming and publishing the videos on social media.

Dujarric said he has seen some of the reports.

"They're extremely disturbing indeed,” he said. "And they need to be investigated swiftly by the Israeli authorities.

Asked about Israel’s recent plans for 3,400 illegal homes in a West Bank for settlement, Dujarric reiterated that the UN's position remains "constant and unchanged," and "that they are illegal under international law."

He noted that the settlement plans also undermine the option of a two-state solution.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive, now in day 152, on the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which Tel Aviv said killed less than 1,200 people.

More than 30,700 Palestinians have since been killed and over 72,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.