Overview
- New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof published an opinion piece Monday alleging a pattern of sexual violence against Palestinians by Israeli soldiers, prison guards, settlers, and interrogators based on 14 interviews and NGO reports.
- Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the column as a “blood libel” and said the Times ran it to blunt Tuesday’s release of an independent Civil Commission report that concluded Hamas carried out systematic sexual violence on Oct. 7 and against hostages.
- The Times said Tuesday it has no plans to retract the piece and praised Kristof’s reporting record, noting he traveled to the region and backed accounts with published studies.
- Critics challenged the column’s sourcing and evidence, pointing to Euro‑Med Human Rights Monitor and individual sources they link to Hamas, and they flagged the allegation of a dog assault as unverified.
- Kristof urged Red Cross and lawyer access to Palestinian detainees to test the claims, as prior UN findings have documented gender‑based abuses including forced stripping, threats of rape, and sexual assault by Israeli forces.