A former Israeli hostage of Hamas, describing conditions of extreme violence in Gaza.
Guy Gilboa Dalal, who was held for 739 days after being abducted from the Nova on October 7, 2023, reported that he was subjected to sexual violence, torture and systematic humiliation during his captivity in the tunnels of Gaza.
The revelations were made in an interview with Israel’s First Lady, Michal Herzog, a few days after the release of the UN’s annual report on sexual violence in armed conflicts. The report notes that the relevant allegations made by Israeli hostages could not be verified with the available evidence.
Allegations of sexual violence and death threats
According to Dalal, a Hamas guard took him alone into a room, blindfolded him, and forced him to undress at knifepoint. As he claimed, this was followed by sexual innuendos and acts that he described as sexual abuse.
“I couldn’t do anything. I just wanted it to stop,” he said, describing the feeling of complete helplessness he experienced.
The former hostage reported that he subsequently received repeated death threats, with the guard initially holding a knife to his throat and later pointing a gun at his head, demanding that he not tell anyone what had happened.
In a second incident, which he described as even more traumatic, he claimed that after being allowed to take a shower, he was led naked to another room where he suffered another sexual assault. As he said, he felt mentally detached from reality, while “every second felt like a whole lifetime.”
After the incident, according to his complaint, there followed a beating, further threats, and being forced to tell his torturer that he loved him in order to avoid further violence.
“They made him bark like a dog”
Dalal also described incidents of extreme humiliation that he and other hostages endured. As he claimed, his fellow hostage Omer Venkert was ordered by a Hamas guard to get on all fours and bark like dog.
Subsequently, the two men were beaten, with the perpetrator claiming that this was punishment for the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
The former hostage was released on October 13, 2025, after more than two years in captivity. Upon his return, it was determined that he was suffering from infections, hearing loss in one ear, and severe skin problems.
According to his family, he is undergoing psychological therapy to address the trauma caused by his captivity.
Other testimonies from former hostages
Speaking later to Israel’s Channel 13, Dalal described what he endured as sexual violence intended to completely humiliate him. “The goal was to crush my dignity. And that’s exactly what it did,” he said, adding that every day of captivity felt like an endless hell.
His allegations join other testimonies from former hostages, who have described incidents of sexual abuse, beatings, and threats during their detention in Gaza.
Among them is Aviva Sigal, who testified before the UN Committee Against Torture that she witnessed sexual abuse of a 16-year-old girl by a Hamas member.
Similar allegations have been made by former hostage Rom Braslavsky, who has publicly spoken of torture, beatings, and humiliating treatment during his captivity.
The allegations have sparked strong reactions in Israel and internationally.
