Did Palestinian Terrorists Commit Rape on October 7th?

The Lie:

There is no evidence that Palestinians committed rape during the October 7, 2023 massacre of Israelis.

The Truth:

Palestinian terrorists from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad committed widespread sexual violence on October 7th, including rape of both women and men.

Background:

On November 14, 2025, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls Reem Alsalem denied that Hamas committed rape on October 7, 2023: “No Palestinian applauded rape in Gaza. No independent investigation found that rape took place on the 7th of October,” she wrote in a post on X.

Truth Explained

Confessions From Perpetrators

A 47-year-old man from Gaza, Jamal Hussein Ahmad Radi, admitted to raping an Israeli woman: “She was screaming, she was crying, I did what I did, I raped her. ‘I threatened her with my gun to take her clothes off, I remember she was wearing jean shorts, that’s about it. I don’t know what happened to her, I was there for fifteen minutes and then I left.” (Daily Mail)
His son Abdallah Radi said his father killed the woman, and then admitted to additional rapes:
“My father raped her, then I did and then my cousin did and then we left but my father killed the woman after we finished raping her. … Before this woman, we had raped another girl as well, I killed two people, I raped two people, and I broke into five houses.” (Daily Mail)
Manar Mahmoud Muhammad Qassem, a Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist captured in Khan Yunis, confessed on camera to raping a young Israeli woman in her home during the October 7th attack. He described entering the house, killing her partner, and then sexually assaulting her—framing the rape as part of the broader violence carried out during the invasion. (Jerusalem Post)
Forensic and Investigative Evidence
The New York Times identified at least 24 bodies in Be’eri and Kfar Aza showing signs of sexual abuse. (New York Times)
According to a report by the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel (ARCCI), a responder found three naked bodies of young women from the Nova festival in Kibbutz Re’im with clear signs of severe sexual violence. (ARCCI Report)
Israeli Police collected evidence from more than 1,500 women and men who were sexually assaulted, witnessed sexual assaults, or had medically documented injuries. (Congressional Record)
At least one male survivor of the Supernova festival reported being raped by terrorists during the massacre. (The Times of Israel)

International Findings

International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan stated he has reason to believe three Hamas leaders are responsible for rape and other acts of sexual violence as crimes against humanity. (ICC)
A United Nations investigation found “clear and convincing information” that rape, sexualized torture, and other sexual violence were committed against hostages. (UN)
The European Union sanctioned Hamas and PIJ military wings for “widespread sexual and gender-based violence… used as a weapon of war.” (Reuters)
The UN added Hamas to the UN sexual violence blacklist in July 2025. (UN)

Takeaway

Palestinian terrorists committed widespread, documented sexual violence on October 7—including rape, gang rape, sexual mutilation, and the rape of male victims. These crimes are confirmed by terrorist confessions, forensic evidence, international investigations, and the findings of the UN, ICC, EU, and independent journalists. Claims that “there is no evidence” are factually false and contradict the overwhelming body of verified documentation.