Israeli Hostage Gilboa-Dalal Exposes Sexual Assault by Hamas

Post by : Raina Nasser

Guy Gilboa-Dalal, an Israeli who endured over two years as a hostage of Hamas, has bravely come forward to disclose he was sexually assaulted during his time in captivity in Gaza. He is noted as the first male to publicly discuss such experiences while held by Hamas.

On October 7, 2023, Gilboa-Dalal was abducted alongside his friend Evyatar David at the Nova music festival, coinciding with Hamas's large-scale offensive that ignited the Gaza conflict. For over two years, they were detained in Gaza, featuring in a Hamas video in February 2025 where they appealed for release.

In a recent interview, Gilboa-Dalal recounted the assault in detail. After being permitted a shower, his captor pulled him out, denied him the chance to dress, and forcefully pushed him onto an armchair. The captor then initiated inappropriate contact while brandishing a rifle and a knife, threatening death if Gilboa-Dalal confided in anyone.

When questioned about whether this incident was singular, Gilboa-Dalal confirmed it was not, though he refrained from further elaboration. He attempted to appeal to his captor’s religious convictions, asserting that such acts are condemned in Islam, yet the threats persisted.

Gilboa-Dalal and David were ultimately freed on October 13, 2025, alongside 19 additional surviving hostages, which followed a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel that began on October 10. Their release concluded over two years of suffering, characterized by extreme hardships.

The Israeli government expressed profound concern and grief regarding Gilboa-Dalal's testimony. A spokesperson remarked that such harrowing accounts from released hostages are “painstaking and heartbreaking to hear,” yet they are paramount in revealing the atrocities faced by those held by Hamas.

In a previous account from March 2024, Amit Soussana emerged as the first hostage to publicly share experiences of sexual abuse by Hamas captors, shedding light on a troubling trend of hostage mistreatment.

Gilboa-Dalal’s courageous testimony highlights the grave human rights violations experienced by hostages in the Gaza conflict, emphasizing the persistent psychological and physical toll of such traumatic captivity.