Freed Israeli hostage recounts sexual abuse in Gaza, calls for victims to speak out

Guy Gilboa-Dalal, a 25-year-old Israeli man released after two years in captivity in Gaza, has publicly recounted experiences of sexual abuse while held by Palestinian militants. Speaking ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, Gilboa-Dalal said he was sexually assaulted on two separate occasions during his captivity, which began after Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, when he and approximately 250 others were abducted.

Gilboa-Dalal described harrowing conditions during his captivity, including being held in a narrow underground cell with three other hostages, forced starvation, and denial of basic hygiene. He recounted that during the assaults, he was naked and blindfolded while his captors threatened to kill him if he spoke about the abuse. At least six released hostages have publicly shared similar experiences of sexual assault in captivity, with Gilboa-Dalal first speaking to Israeli media about the attacks in November 2025, about a month after his release.

In remarks with Israel's first lady Michal Herzog in Jerusalem, Gilboa-Dalal emphasized his mission to empower other victims of sexual violence in conflict zones. "I feel like I have a mission to spread to the world, to use my voice and empower other victims of sexual assaults," he said, adding that he wanted survivors to know "they're not alone." He expressed frustration with the United Nations' handling of allegations, stating that investigators had no right to question what happened when he had lived through it.

The issue of conflict-related sexual violence has become highly politicized in the Israel-Palestinian conflict since October 7. According to the United Nations, such violence is rising globally, with cases more than doubling in 2025. The U.N. has documented allegations of widespread rape during the initial Hamas attacks and has verified multiple incidents of sexual violence perpetrated by Israeli military and security forces against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank—charges Israel denies. This year, for the first time, the U.N. included Israel's armed and security forces on its list of parties "credibly suspected" of committing patterns of sexual violence in armed conflict, alongside Hamas.