JERUSALEM — Guy Gilboa-Dalal, a 25-year-old Israeli man, publicly disclosed that he experienced sexual abuse while held captive in Gaza. He discussed his experiences with Israeli First Lady Michal Herzog in Jerusalem ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict.

Gilboa-Dalal was abducted by Palestinian militants during a Hamas-led attack in Israel on October 7, 2023, and held captive for two years. He stated the abuse occurred during two separate incidents more than a year into his captivity, during which he was naked and blindfolded. He reported that a captor threatened to kill him, beat him, held a knife to his throat, and held a gun to his head during these assaults. "He could do whatever he wanted. I was so weak, and he was so strong." Gilboa-Dalal said.

Gilboa-Dalal expressed frustration with the United Nations' stance on verifying allegations of abuse. The U.N. stated in a recent report that it was unable to verify public allegations from former hostages regarding abuse by Palestinian captors, citing Israel's denial of access to investigators. The U.N. had previously listed Hamas as suspected of perpetrating sexual violence in armed conflict, and Pramila Patten, the U.N. special representative on sexual violence in conflict, stated in 2024 that she found clear and convincing information that some hostages were subjected to sexual abuse, including rape and sexualized torture.

"I feel like I have a mission to spread to the world, to use my voice and empower other victims of sexual assaults." Gilboa-Dalal said. He stated he was confined to a narrow underground cell with three other hostages, where they were deprived of adequate food and denied movement or bathing facilities. He did not inform fellow hostages of the abuse until shortly before one was released during a temporary ceasefire in February 2025. At least six released hostages have publicly shared accounts of sexual assault suffered during their captivity, including Rom Braslavski and Keith Siegel. Siegel and his wife Aviva testified before the U.N. Committee Against Torture in Geneva in late 2025.

Herzog said, "What really outraged me was that the description of the situation in Israel began by noting that the Israeli hostages who returned from captivity in Gaza made allegations of sexual abuse they had experienced, and that the U.N. could not verify those allegations." Approximately 250 other individuals were abducted alongside him on October 7, 2023. The U.N. reported that cases of conflict-related sexual violence worldwide more than doubled in 2025. Gilboa-Dalal is writing a book and an anime script regarding his experiences in captivity.