CW: Sexual Violence | Reading About Rape by Israelis Has Left Me Sick

[IrisieMendimeve]

I honestly don’t even know how to process what I’ve just read.

The article detailing accounts of sexual violence against Palestinians has left me feeling sick to my stomach. The sheer brutality described, people being humiliated, violated, and terrorised in ways that no human being should ever endure, is beyond horrifying. I had to stop reading more than once because it was just too much to take in.

What’s even more disturbing is that these aren’t isolated claims suddenly appearing out of nowhere. The suggestion that there are multiple testimonies, patterns, and reports pointing to this kind of abuse makes it feel even heavier. It raises that awful question of how much suffering goes unseen, unheard, or dismissed, especially when those responsible hold power over others.

As a mum, I keep thinking about the families behind these stories. The women, the men, the children, the ripple effect of this kind of trauma doesn’t just stop with the individual. It shapes entire lives, generations even. The idea of anyone’s child being subjected to such cruelty is unbearable.

I’m not posting this to start an argument about politics or take sides. I’m posting because, at a very basic human level, this is devastating. No one should ever have that kind of power over another person’s body or dignity, and when systems allow or ignore it, something is deeply wrong.

It just makes me question how easily people can be dehumanised, and how important it is that we don’t look away or accept it as inevitable. Basic humanity should never depend on who you are or where you’re born.

I just feel heartbroken, and honestly quite helpless. I don’t really have answers, just a deep sense that none of this should be happening, anywhere, to anyone.

Would really appreciate hearing how others are processing this, because I’m struggling to shake it.

www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/opinion/israel-palestinians-sexual-violence.html

Use some critical thinking please. Do you honestly believe the Israelis, a democracy with full voting rights, full LGBTQ+ rights, a society full of social media and phones and Instagrammers, an open and free society are routinely raping people with dogs.
If you honestly believe that to be true, may I ask is there any other people/society/group of people you would believe this of. Is there anyone else you would read this about in a newspaper and immediately believe it?
This is a blood libel. I have no doubt this kind of allegation will follow my great great grandchildren to their grave. At this point I am despairing of how we will ever live happily again.
The Israelis are doing unforgivable things in the West Bank. They have done unforgivable things in Gaza. But use your common sense and ask if they are doing this.

Even if you dispute the most sensational allegation in the piece, the reaction to it should not hinge on that single detail. The core claims being reported are still allegations of sexual violence and severe abuse in detention settings. That alone is already among the most serious categories of wrongdoing imaginable. You do not need to accept every detail at face value for the overall picture to be deeply disturbing.

But the critique that follows often goes further than evidence and into assumptions about plausibility, particularly the idea that such behaviour is incompatible with a modern, democratic society. That argument is emotionally intuitive, but it is not a reliable way of assessing whether abuse happens.

Israel is a democracy in the sense of elections, institutions, and broad civic participation. It also has a highly diverse, modern, digitally connected society. But none of that, on its own, is a safeguard against abuse in closed or coercive systems like prisons, military detention facilities, or wartime contexts. Democracies have repeatedly produced documented cases of torture, prisoner abuse, and sexual violence by security forces, sometimes exposed precisely because they sit within societies that otherwise look “open” and modern from the outside.

So the question is not whether an entire society “is” capable of something like this in some abstract moral sense. The question is whether abuse can occur within specific institutions under conditions of conflict, power imbalance, secrecy, and dehumanisation. History suggests that it can, in many different countries and political systems.

That is why the “this cannot be true because Israelis are modern and democratic” argument is not actually critical thinking. It is a form of exception-making that would collapse under its own standard if applied consistently. If the threshold for believing allegations were “does this feel compatible with my view of this society?”, then reporting on abuse anywhere would become impossible to take seriously unless it fit preconceived expectations.

At the same time, it is fair to scrutinise sourcing, demand corroboration, and challenge weak or politically motivated claims. Those are legitimate journalistic instincts. But that is different from dismissing allegations outright because they conflict with an image of a society as fundamentally immune from such behaviour.

For what it is worth, I am myself Jewish and have lived in Israel, and I strongly contest the framing of this as “blood libel”. That label has a specific historical weight, and applying it reflexively to reporting on allegations of abuse risks shutting down serious discussion rather than engaging with the actual evidentiary questions involved. It is possible to reject a claim as unproven, overstated, or poorly sourced without escalating it into a category that implies malicious fabrication at a civilisational level.

And on the frustration with being told to “use critical thinking”, that phrase is often used in a way that shuts down disagreement rather than encouraging it. Real critical thinking does not mean automatic acceptance or rejection. It means holding two things at once, skepticism about evidence and recognition of the seriousness of the allegations being made, without defaulting to assumptions about what entire populations are or are not capable of.

So even setting aside the most disputed details, the substance of the reporting is still grave enough that it cannot be dismissed simply by appealing to national character or modernity. The right response is scrutiny, not reflexive disbelief, but also not reflexive acceptance.

I stumbled across the details of this in my Facebook feed earlier. I was not and never would be prepared for what I read.

😢

Such despicable violence, cruelty and brutality.

Thread hidden.

That’s not how investigative reporting works though: if something is presented as fact, but is not just a minor inaccuracy but is actually something that is nearly impossible to have happened, that means that sources are lying and therefore none of it is reliable.

To be clear, I’m not saying that no abuse has taken place. That happens everywhere. The British and Americans committed abuse at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere.

But only Israel is expected to allow thousands of its own civilians to be raped, kidnapped or murdered without waging war on the places those murderers control.

Hillel Kieval said “The kinds of accusations leveled at Jews would have been considered patently absurd had they been leveled at any other group”.

People throw their critical thinking skills out the window when it comes to these blood libels. The New York Times campaigned hard to ensure Jewish refugees fleeing Europe before and at the start of WW2 would not be allowed to land in the USA. Nothing has changed.

An already discredited story regurgitated.

Interesting how the opinion piece in New York Times was published just a day before the 298-page report on sexual violence committed during the October 7th attack was released by the independent Civil Commission.
A report based on over 1,000 photographs and video segments recorded by attackers, survivors, and first responders.
I also read that the Civil Commission had approached NYT months previously to share their investigation, but NYT declined to publish or preview the findings.

Yes it is interesting it happening just the day before the report about the 7th Oct findings.
Well more than interesting absolutely see through.

Agree OP

An official and independent report on this was so necessary and needs to be in the public domain daily.

Report by Euro med Human Rights Monitor

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor is a youth-led independent, nonprofit organisation that advocates for the human rights of all persons across Europe and the MENA region, particularly those who live under occupation, in the throes of war or political unrest and/ or have been displaced due to persecution or armed conflict.

In terms of the timing of the release one could equally ask how significant it is that Israel released their report the day after. Swings and roundabouts really.

Also worth noting a report on the October 7th attack was released by an independent body in 2024. So…. This Israeli prisons one is well after.

So now they are saying it’s a genocide inside the prisons?

Israelis attacked, Arabs attacked by Israelis. There’s no end and I refuse to read about any of it. I’d advise you to do the same. There’s no good about anything here.

This report by the two time Pulitzer Prize journalist who interviewed the victims has not been discredited. It has been widely condemned by Israel who also employ the use of the "blood libel" accusation but the Times are standing by the article.

Sounds like bollocks.

Prove it

It’s not like there isn’t plenty information on the subject despite Israel’s threats to shut people down

Recent investigations and reports from international organizations and media outlets have documented widespread and systematic sexual violence, including rape, within the Israeli prison system. 1, 2, 3]

Recent Investigative Findings
New York Times Investigation (May 2024): Columnist Nicholas Kristof published a detailed report based on testimonies from 14 survivors, including Palestinian journalist Sami al-Sai, who described being sexually assaulted and tortured.

UN Reports (2025–2026): A 2025 UN report accused Israel of "systematically" subjecting Palestinians to sexualized torture, calling it a "standard operating procedure". UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese further described the system as a "laboratory of calculated cruelty".

B’Tselem and Human Rights Groups: The Israeli group B’Tselem and the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor have documented dozens of cases involving:
Forced nudity and severe beatings to genitals.
Rape using objects such as wooden sticks, fire extinguisher nozzles, bottles, and metal rods.
Assaults involving trained dogs.
Threats of sexual violence against family members. 1, , 4, 5, 6, 7, , , 11]

Notable Incidents and Legal Actions
Sde Teiman Detention Center: This facility has been at the center of several high-profile allegations. In early 2025, leaked surveillance footage appeared to show soldiers sexually assaulting a detainee. Medical records from Haaretz corroborated severe internal injuries, including a ruptured bowel and broken ribs.

Internal Whistleblowers: Some Israeli legal figures and journalists have reported witnessing signs of systemic abuse, sometimes facing internal complaints or harassment for coming forward. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

human rights monitors argue that the lack of accountability and the established "security apparatus" have made such abuses routine and systemic

cpj.org

Palestinian journalist Ahmed Abdel Aal remembers the moment the ear-splitting music started. For five days, he said, he was held blindfolded in a room in an Israeli detention site, stripped and beaten, while loud Hebrew and English songs played at an unrelenting volume. Every time he drifted into unconsciousness, an electric shock or a blow jolted him awake.

Another journalist, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals, described similar treatment inside what detainees refer to as the “disco room.” He said soldiers bound his genitals with zip ties and beat him until the injuries made it impossible to urinate without blood. “They told me that I would no longer be a man,” he said.

Their accounts are among 59 in-depth testimonies collected by the Committee to Protect Journalists from Palestinian journalists released from Israeli custody since October 7, 2023. These interviews revealed that 58 — all but one of those released — reported being subjected to what they described as torture, abuse, or other forms of violence since the onset of what human rights groupsagree is a genocide.

CPJ has documented the detentionof at least 94 Palestinian journalists and one media worker in that period – 32 journalists and one media worker from Gaza, 60 from the West Bank, and two in Israel. Thirty remain in custody, as of February 19, 2026. CPJ’s 2025 Prison Censusfound that Israel has been listed as a top jailer of journalists since 2023.

The organisation attempted to contact all 65 journalists released from Israeli custody since October 7, 2023. One, Ismail al-Ghoul, was killed in an Israeli air strike, and the five others declined to speak.

Journalist Abdelhameed Hamdona before and after 23 months of Israeli detention. (Photo: Courtesy of Abdelhameed Hamdoona)

CPJ could not independently verify each allegation, but the reports align with findings by human rights organizations documenting similar treatment of Palestinians in Israeli detention facilities, which Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has described as a “network of torture camps.”

While conditions varied at different facilities, the methods those interviewed were strikingly consistent

— physical assaults,
forced stress positions,
sensory deprivation,
sexual violence,
and medical neglect

Ten journalists requested anonymity, alleging explicit threats of re-arrest or death from Israeli interrogators and prison service officials if they spoke publicly. These threats appear in 31 of the individual testimonies, and have driven many journalists away from their work.

It’s appalling to deny this.

Just because you don't agree with something doesn't make it bollocks. Like @Stiraboutsays can you prove your statement.

Thanks Marty
I imagine I’d be banned if I said the same of Israel’s recent report

Exactly. This feels like propaganda because of further evidence of Oct 7 sexual brutality by Hamas and their supporters.

Absolutely. I find it fascinating that the information in that Israeli report was rightly condemned for the horrendous action of Hamas but this one is met with disbelief. There would be absolute outrage if the report on Oct 7th was called bollocks but once again Palestinians are dehumanized to the point they are never believed.

It’s not just one report identifying horrendous Israeli abuse in prisons

There are many

It doesn't stand in isolation

Deniers just can’t face the truth. That’s why the far right in Israel are in power and why there has been long held abuse of Palestinians and it is so normalised

I can see that from your very informative post about the reoccurrence of the same allegations.

I genuinely don't understand the automatic reaction to deny when we have seen what the IDF are capable of doing over the last few years. (And long before)

The Israeli government are suing the New York Times. Hopefully this will mean that all the evidence will be brought to the public eye.

That’s interesting.
Classic delay tactics by Israel

Just like with the genocide case
blahblahblah.

So predictable

When your reputation is already in the gutter can you really be defamed? Defamation law focuses on the damage caused to a person's standing in the eyes of reasonable members of society. If a person's reputation is already ruined, it can be argued that no further harm was done. Can countries even sue for defamation? If so then surely Ireland has a case after all of that unsubstantiated 'most antisemitic country in Europe' nonsense that was going around. Or is this yet another bully boy tactic to try and scare other publications from covering their crimes. If you can't kill the journalists then find other ways to silence them.

I had read credible reports on the sexual violence used against Palestinians quite some time before the recent further report on the Oct 7 rapes and sexual violence.

Israeli service men have made ' humorous references to raping detainees with dogs. There is a gang rape on video. Videos of naked detainees are shared widely to humiliate them and spread fear in the community. Several detainees report being sexually assaulted by women soldiers using both their hands and sharp objects.

Netanyahu has threatened to sue the New York Times for publishing this report. In the unlikely event this ever happens it will be a public relations disaster for Israel. Worse than the horrors of Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo. Either way there will be a reckoning of sorts. But I fear the price will be paid by innocent people rather than the actual torturers.