{"id":2601951,"date":"2026-05-12T22:05:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T02:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/concerns-about-sexual-violence-in-gaza-war-renewed-amid-nyt-controversy\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T22:08:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T02:08:49","slug":"concerns-about-sexual-violence-in-gaza-war-renewed-amid-nyt-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/concerns-about-sexual-violence-in-gaza-war-renewed-amid-nyt-controversy\/","title":{"rendered":"Concerns about sexual violence in Gaza war renewed amid NYT controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fconcerns-about-sexual-violence-in-gaza-war-renewed-amid-nyt-controversy%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2601951&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A controversy erupted after a New York Times opinion piece argued there is a \u201cpattern\u201d of sexual violence by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinians,describing abuses as part of a broader security apparatus rather than as isolated incidents. The article said its claims were based on interviews, testimony, and reports from other organizations, including accounts of sexual violence and abuse in the West Bank and in Israeli prisons.<\/p>\n<p>In response, Israel and its officials sharply criticized the Times, alleging the outlet relied on weak or questionable sourcing and-most prominently-that it timed the piece just before the release of a major investigation about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/graphic-report-reveals-new-evidence-of-rape-sexual-violence-from-october-7-terrorist-attack\/\" title=\"New ... uncovers fresh evidence of rape and ... in October 7 ...\">sexual violence committed<\/a> by Hamas against Jewish hostages. They said the timing was intended to \u201cbelittle\u201d hamas\u2019s crimes.<\/p>\n<p>The counter-investigation highlighted findings from a civil commission\u2019s long report on hamas\u2019s Oct. 7 attacks, concluding that sexual and gender-based violence was systematic, widespread, and integral to captivity and abuse of hostages. The commission said it drew on hundreds of interviews and testimony, reviewed extensive documentary materials, and attempted to protect independence by not relying on facts obtained through state interrogations.<\/p>\n<p>Simultaneously occurring, the Times writer faced backlash for specific sources that critics said had credibility issues or were linked to politically aligned agendas. Several Israeli officials and observers acknowledged the possibility of abuses, while disputing aspects of the evidence and framing used in the Times piece.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>Accusations that <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\/\">Israel<\/a> has fomented a culture of sexual violence against Palestinians triggered intense controversy this week, deepening the divide between the Jewish nation and its critics.<\/p>\n<p>The debate centers on a <em>New York Times<\/em> report <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/11\/opinion\/israel-palestinians-sexual-violence.html\">detailing claims<\/a> that Israel targeted Palestinians with sexual violence, released a day before a sweeping investigation from a civil commission that investigated sexual atrocities Jewish hostages experienced while in Hamas captivity. The <em>New York Times<\/em> was swiftly inundated with claims that its report was based on faulty sourcing and poor evidence, and Israel alleged that the publication deliberately timed the piece before the civil commission\u2019s report to \u201cbelittle Hamas\u2019 sexual crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/4563219\/cbp-gun-suppressors-glock-switches-china\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>CBP seizes shipments of \u2018F*** THE ATF\u2019 suppressors and glock switches from China<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4562705\/whcd-gunman-pleads-not-guilty-attempted-assassination-charges\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>WHCA dinner gunman pleads not guilty to attempted Trump assassination charges<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/technology\/4562611\/kash-patel-uses-artificial-intelligence-fbi-what-does-that-mean\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Kash Patel says he uses AI everywhere at the FBI. What does that mean?<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>\u201cMonths ago, the Civil Commission approached the New York Times with a report on Hamas\u2019 systematic sexual violence on Oct. 7 and after,\u201d Israel\u2019s Foreign Ministry said in a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/IsraelMFA\/status\/2054121660362502633\">statement<\/a>. \u201cThe New York Times said it was not interested. \u2026 Aware of the report and its release date, the night before its release, the NYT ran a shameful attack on Israel, belittling Hamas\u2019 sexual crimes. That tells you everything about the NYT\u2019s agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The debacle began on Monday, when the <em>New York Times <\/em>published <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/11\/opinion\/israel-palestinians-sexual-violence.html\">an opinion piece <\/a>suggesting that there is \u201ca pattern of widespread Israeli sexual violence against men, women, and even children.\u201d Nicholas Kristof wrote that there is no evidence \u201cthat Israeli leaders order rapes\u201d but accused the country of creating \u201ca security apparatus\u201d where sexual violence has become \u201cstandard operating procedure.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Kristof wrote that his findings were based on conversations with 14 men and women who said they had been sexually assaulted by Israeli settlers or members of the security forces, as well as interviews with family members, investigators, and officials. He cited a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/sexual-violence-and-forcible-transfer-in-the-west-bank-how-the-exploitation-of-gender-dynamics-drives-displacement-report-by-norwegian-refugee-council-non-un-document\/\">recent report <\/a>from the West Bank Protection Consortium, a coalition of international aid groups aligned with the United Nations. The report concluded it found 16 cases of \u201cconflict-related sexual violence attributed to Israeli settlers and soldiers\u201d and said it pointed to a \u201cbroader pattern of sexualised harassment, intimidation and humiliation, much of which remains underreported.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Kristof also <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.btselem.org\/sites\/default\/files\/publications\/202601_living_hell_eng.pdf\">cited research<\/a> from B\u2019Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization that holds the Jewish nation is guilty of genocide and apartheid. B\u2019Tselem\u2019s report was based on testimonies of 21 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, which \u201cindicate a great pattern of sexual violence and detention facilities in prisons, ranging from threats of sexual assault through forced stripping to actual sexual assaults,\u201d including \u201cbeatings to the genitals that cause severe injuries, setting dogs on prisoners, and forced anal penetration with various objects.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The following day, a human rights commission released a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.civilc.org\/silenced-no-more\">landmark report <\/a>detailing sexual abuse endured by Israelis at the hands of Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist group operating in Gaza. The Civil Commission on October 7 Crimes by Hamas against Women and Children said its two-year investigation was based on 430 formal and informal interviews, testimonies, and meetings with survivors, witnesses, former hostages, experts, and family members. The civil commission determined \u201csexual and gender-based violence was systematic, widespread, and integral\u201d to Hamas\u2019s Oct. 7 attack on Israel and its subsequent approach to Israeli hostages in Gaza. Hamas\u2019s alleged acts, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/w-h-o-chief-tedros-marxist-political-party-accused-of-mass-rape-murder-in-ethiopia\/\" title=\"W.H.O. Chief Tedros&#039; Marxist Political ...y Accused of Mass Rape, Murder in Ethiopia\">including gang rapes<\/a>, constitute war crimes and genocidal acts under international law, according to the civil commission, echoing some <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c1mz8gxzg82o\">previous findings<\/a> of 15 survivors documented in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/thedinahproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/The-Dinah-Project-full-report-A4-pages_web.pdf\">Dinah Project<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>The commission\u2019s analysis came after a stream of hostages released from Hamas captivity in recent years came forward with accounts of rape, sexual abuse, and harassment they faced from their captors and other Palestinians they interacted with in Gaza. In the wake of the commission\u2019s report, Israel <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/IsraelMFA\/status\/2054266236465238159\">claimed<\/a> the <em>New York Times<\/em> \u201cdeliberately timed its piece\u201d to undermine Hamas\u2019s \u201cpreplanned, systematic sexual atrocities on Oct. 7 and against hostages thereafter,\u201d slammed Kristof for using the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor as a source in his reporting, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/IsraelMFA\/status\/2054252962361356730\">and alleged <\/a>EMHRM founder Ramy Abdu has documented ties to senior Hamas leaders.<\/p>\n<p>Kristof said former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told him he didn\u2019t know much about sexual violence against Palestinians but was not surprised by the accounts the reporter said he had heard.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo I believe it happens?\u201d Olmert asked. \u201cDefinitely. There are war crimes committed every day in the territories.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Kristof faced swift backlash for his sourcing. Critics <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HenMazzig\/status\/2053898519354704142\">condemned him<\/a> for citing Shaiel Ben-Ephraim, a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA who left the prestigious California school following allegations of sexual harassment. Kristof also faced scrutiny for citing <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HonestReporting\/status\/2053906002802536544\">Sami al Sai<\/a>, whose <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HonestReporting\/status\/2053905998532788732\">critics say <\/a>has backed terrorism, including <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/mishtal\/status\/2053889266707550484\">praising<\/a> Hamas\u2019s Oct. 7 attack. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy first thought was everyone else\u2019s. Horrifying,\u201d Haviv Rettig Gur, a prominent Israeli journalist, wrote in a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/havivrettiggur\/status\/2054113308215550017\">lengthy response<\/a> to Kristof\u2019s report. \u201cWe know that the Israeli Prisons Service is notoriously incompetent. \u2026 Abuse of prisoners isn\u2019t merely possible, it\u2019s guaranteed. October 7 and the ensuing war sent thousands of detainees into the prisons. And in the early months, drafted into the system, undertrained reservist guards. I expected, therefore, a hard-hitting story of real abuse, something Israeli leaders must take notice of.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then I came across the first obvious lie,\u201d he continued. \u201cAnd then the second. And then an odd claim \u2014 maybe possible, but how exactly? \u2014 and then another just like it. And a famed Hamas propagandist laundered as a reliable source. And then another \u2026 the Jew is made fearful once more. Throughout Christendom and Islam, he is being returned to his proper place in the social hierarchies of old, complete with anxious conversos and ideological purity tests.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/cc4e0711-9401-400e-ae14-65ae0400675b.filesusr.com\/ugd\/aab121_882e9391df384e169d29f16c0faefeac.pdf\">300-page study<\/a> produced by the civil commission recounting Hamas\u2019s sexual abuse of Jewish hostages included reviewing more than 10,000 photographs and video segments and cross-referencing survivor and witness accounts. The civil commission said it decided not to rely on any information obtained through state interrogations, a standard practice in compiling such reports, in order to preserve the independence of the work, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/05\/12\/middleeast\/report-sexual-violence-hamas-oct-7-attacks-intl\">according to <\/a>CNN, which released the initial report. Each case cited has been corroborated by witnesses, including first responders who attended the scene, according to the commission.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Commission identified repeated acts of sexual violence, sexual torture, sexual assault, forced nudity, sexual humiliation, threats of rape or forced marriage, and coercive sexual acts inflicted on both women and men,\u201d the report said. \u201cThese acts were not isolated incidents but rather an inherent component of captivity, designed to exert control, instill fear, and strip hostages of their dignity, autonomy, and sense of personhood. Hostages of all ages, including minors and the elderly, were affected.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The commission\u2019s report, which cited eyewitness testimony that Palestinian civilians participated alongside Hamas to carry out the Oct. 7 attack on the Nova music festival, said the attackers viewed sexual violence against Jews as \u201ccentral\u201d to the terrorist attack. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWomen and girls, and, in many cases, men and boys, were subjected to rape, sexualized torture, mutilation, forced nudity, and desecration of bodies,\u201d it said. \u201cSiblings assaulted in front of one another; victims stripped, violated, filmed, and displayed. These were not crimes of passion: they were coordinated and orchestrated to exacerbate the cruelty of crimes that are sexual in nature.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The commission describes itself as an independent nongovernmental group. Its report was endorsed by a variety of international leaders, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, former U.N. special adviser on the prevention of genocide Alice Wairimu Nderitu, former chief prosecutor of the U.N. Special Court for Sierra Leone David Crane, and Rahm Emanuel, who was former President Barack Obama\u2019s chief of staff.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4516016\/jewish-european-deteriorating-spiking-antisemitism\/\"><strong>JEWISH EUROPEANS FACE DETERIORATING \u2018NORMAL\u2019 AS ADVOCATES WARN SPIKING ANTISEMITISM A \u2018MUTATING VIRUS\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The commission\u2019s report includes testimony from several Israelis who were captured by Hamas and said they were sexually abused by their captors. Many of the hostages previously detailed their accounts, including <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DRvbJk2gbcF\/\">Alon Ohel<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MOSSADil\/status\/2023024871475728640\">Arbel Yehoud<\/a>,\u00a0Rom Braslavski, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/11\/13\/world-news\/female-hamas-hostage-forced-to-perform-sex-act-then-smile-un-hears\/\">Aviva Siegel<\/a>, Agam Goldstein-Almog, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/03\/26\/world\/middleeast\/hamas-hostage-sexual-assault.html\">Amit Soussana<\/a>, and Romi Gonen, who described sexual assaults from three different men. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou just pray to God for it to stop,\u201d Braslavski <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cgkz0yzde80o\">told<\/a> Channel 13. \u201cEvery day, I\u2019d say to myself: \u2018I survived another day in hell. Tomorrow morning, I\u2019ll wake up to another hell. And another hell.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Israel accused of fomenting Palestinian sexual violence<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2601954,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP25286535526351.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[20083,36930,63223,58645],"class_list":["post-2601951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-gaza","tag-human-rights","tag-nyt-controversy","tag-sexual-violence"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP25286535526351.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2601951"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601951\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2601956,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601951\/revisions\/2601956"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2601954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2601951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2601951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2601951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}