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

I have no political skin in the game, but what I will say is that due to my job I see and treat a number of Palestinians with severe PTSD from torture and sexual assault. One whom I see weekly who is incontinent as he can’t empty his bladder properly due to torture to his penis.

My job is grim sometimes (all the time) 😔

Sadly it’s not just Israel who are destroying lives as a political weapon…Im also trying (and failing) to treat a 17yo Afghan boy whose mum paid traffickers to get him to UK on a small boat after he was systematically tortured by Afghan rebels whilst being forced to watch his Dad being shot right in front of him. He doesn’t know if his Mum is still alive now thanks for the comms black-out. He has brain injuries and such severe PTSD that he is mute and gaunt. He is just 2 years older than my own little boy.

The world is fucked.

Don’t really believe the dog thing, but I do believe that horrendous sexual assaults happen to Palestinians by the IDF.

I also believe the victims of the Hamas attacks that they were horrendously sexually assaulted.

It doesn’t need to be but Hamas, but Israel, both sick and deprived.

Al Jazeera and The Guardian (among others) reports that the Israeli government are sueing The New York Times over this article www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/14/israel-sue-new-york-times-sexual-abuse-palestinian-prisoners
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/14/israels-netanyahu-says-suing-new-york-times-over-palestinian-rape-article

No is is denying Israel are sueing
That’s not discrediting
That’s same old same old from Netanyahu
Just like delaying the genocide case against Israel

Delaying the corruption case against himself….

I think you'll find that this is the first time the state of Israel has sued The New York Times. It has nothing to do with any genocide case. Just plain lies on behalf of the writer, no matter how many awards he has.

You’ve used AI to write this, your original post and second response have all the word salad hallmarks. I’m out.

This is completely separate to the corruption case against him in Israel (not the US!)

Who is this in response to?

Yep
theres another one
Like if you delay, sue etc. it’s not really true and the Netanyahu and far right believers will keep believing and denying
Let’s face it
Its a clever game

Op. It’s a pet hate of mine.

Agree
@TheBeaTgoeson1 whats this about ?

Apologies
you just answered.

We shall see. Even if the victims cannot testify in person it is going to be a shit show for Netanyahu. There can be no question about the allegations when Israelis openly laugh and boast about it all. Of course that doesn't mean he will lose in New York. Just everywhere else.

I know i said it in my previous post. Suing someone doesn't mean you are right (Look at their bff Trump) . Hopefully they will go ahead with this and all their atrocities will be laid bare in a courtroom for all the whole world to see.

Are you talking about the Original Post on the thread because if you did I ran it through an AI detector and it's written by humans.

Agree to disagree

At least you cannot accuse the OP of the report being AI as it is based on factual interviewing of victims .

It's frightening that so many people have responded with disbelief, accusations of antisematism or attempts to discred the authors. There are clearly people who believe that such horrors could only come from Palestinians and refuse to see the evidence of the horrors committed by Israel. It's clear that both groups are capable of awful, awful things. Palestinians are just dehumanised so the things done to them either didn't happen or are deserved. It's awful. Palestinians and Israeli's are entitled to their own safe territories.

It is good Israel plans to sue the paper. Instead of dismissing all the concerns as antisemitism or focusing on the likelihood of one particular event at the expense of consideration of the general concerns raised needs to be explored further.

I also wonder if Israel will withdraw its case before it reaches court. You don’t really want to wash your dirty laundry in public and were there’s smoke…

The article also suggests that some lawyers think that they may not have legal basis to sue

“It is not clear in which jurisdiction Israeli officials would bring the lawsuit or whether defamation claims could even be filed by a government.
“There is no chance a US court would countenance such a case,” said David A Logan, a professor emeritus at the Roger Williams School of Law and media law expert.
There is a legal consensus, he added, that the first amendment bars lawsuits or prosecutions of critics of government brought by the government.
Mark Stephens, an expert in international media law, called the idea of Israel suing the Times “ludicrous”. “Libel is about hurt feelings, being shunned and avoided and isolated as a human (sentient) being,” he said in an email. “This is as much about politics as it is about law – and courts are alert to the difference.”

I can see the need to respond to the article- but maybe it should be the Israel government pointing out what they are doing or have done to investigate the concerns?

I’m sorry but I had the complete opposite reaction to this post.

While any sexual violence is horrific and should be condemned, I find it very hard to take these one-sided NYT pieces at face value, especially given their track record on this conflict. There have been multiple reports of systematic sexual violence by Hamas on October 7th - including rape, gang rape, mutilation and parading naked bodies - that were initially dismissed or downplayed by many of the same outlets now amplifying these claims.

Where was this level of visceral horror and “I had to stop reading” when Jewish women were being raped and their bodies abused? Or when hostages have spoken about repeated sexual abuse in captivity? The selective outrage is glaring.

Also worth remembering that Hamas operates out of civilian areas, uses human shields, and has a long history of using false or exaggerated claims. I’m not saying abuse never happens in prisons (it sadly does in many conflicts), but the heavy focus on this while ignoring or minimising far better documented atrocities by the other side feels like propaganda rather than genuine humanitarian concern.

Also, think about the children - the ones murdered, the ones taken hostage and the ones being raised to glorify terrorism. The trauma on both sides is real, but this selective heartbreak is getting very tiring.

It absolutely shouldn’t be selective!

I just did a quick search - the paper has reported on the sexual committed by Hamas against Israelis. I found at least 2.

There have been reports for decades about the sexual violence inflicted on Palestians by Israel.

Here is a report of it back in 2014.
https://www.mecaforpeace.org/israel-240-palestinian-children-sexually-abused-in-jerusalem-detention-centres-group-claims/

Feb 2022 - https://www.dci-palestine.org/israeli_interrogator_sexually_assaults_palestinian_child_detainee

2011- https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/110204

2010- https://www.haaretz.com/2010-05-28/ty-article/over-100-palestinian-minors-reported-abuse-in-idf-police-custody-in-2009/0000017f-dbae-db22-a17f-ffbf50f80000

Where was the level of visceral horror back then 16 years ago? Where was think of the children back then? Western Nations have allowed Israel to destroy Gaza, kill 80000+ people including 20000 children, starve 2 million people of aid, to take over 50% of Gaza for themselves in retaliation for what Hamas did that day. Israelis have not been forgotten about, they haven't been silenced, they have been allowed to do as they please to the population of Gaza for 3 years. How you can say what Hamas has done has been minimised when the world has sat by and watched all of the above happen for 3 years is beyond me.

What has been done for the past 15+ years about Israel taking children from their beds, holding them in detention, torturing and sexually abusing them? How many front page stories have you seen on that? Where was the outrage? You say selective outrage but really is that what has happened? Has the world been frothing at the mouth over Palestinians including children being raped by the IDF for decades and just ignored Israelis being raped? Is that genuinely what you think has happened?

Disgraceful post!

Have you written the same on the October 7th report
no
didn’t think so

how very selective

What a vile post .
It is literally the definition of "selective heartbreak".