After the rape: The challenges of monitoring sexual violence in Gaza
Gaza Community Mental Health Program staff providing psychological support to displaced children, women, elderly people, and people with special needs in evacuation camps in Deir Al-Balah and Rafah, April 2024
Majd Jawad reports in Mondoweiss on 20 December 2025:
The story of N.A., a Palestinian woman detained and allegedly raped by four Israeli soldiers, sent shockwaves through a community already ravaged by war. Detailed in the shocking report by The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) last month, N.A.’s story was one of many, revealing the systematic rape and sexual torture of Palestinian detainees in Israeli captivity.
Her subsequent refusal to seek follow-up medical care after her release, retreating back into a circle of silence, highlights a pervasive and devastating reality in the Gaza Strip. Despite repeated attempts by human rights organizations to document her case and provide support, N.A. declined any further interviews, embodying the fear that paralyzes countless survivors.
“The cases that do speak to us fundamentally do not feel safe disclosing their experiences,” says Yasser Abdel Ghafour, deputy head of the documentation unit at a local human rights center. “They prefer not to expand the circle of people who know about their situation, which would further expose their identity.”
According to Abdel Ghafour, this is not an isolated incident. “We are aware of many cases that have endured similar experiences,” he explains. “We have approached them repeatedly to share their stories, but they have flatly refused, believing it would endanger their lives even more violently. This is especially true for women.”
Sexual violence as a weapon of war
Local and international human rights organizations indicate that the use of sexual violence by occupation forces is not a collection of isolated incidents but part of a repeated pattern of behavior within detention centers. While no international body has yet conducted a full investigation, the recurring patterns in testimonies, especially from female detainees, reflect a systematic practice of sexual humiliation, degradation, and identity destruction.
“What is required is not just documenting violations, but establishing a neutral international mechanism to investigate the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war,” Abdel Ghafour insists. “What is happening to women in detention is part of a widespread and systematic attack, not individual transgressions by soldiers.”