Guy Gilboa Dalal, who last November publicly revealed sexual abuse he said he suffered at the hands of Hamas captors, is continuing his campaign to expose what happened to him — even after the UN reportedly claimed that survivor testimonies “could not be verified.”
“I feel like I have a mission to spread to the world, to use my voice and empower other victims of sexual assaults. I want people who have been through those experiences to know that they are not alone, because I know that a lot of people who are going through sexual assaults refuse to talk about it with anyone,” he said.
Guy Gilboa Dalal describes sexual assaults while he was a hostage in Gaza in interview with Michal Herzog
(Video: Barak Meir Xmedia)
He discussed the painful issue with First Lady Michal Herzog ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, which will be marked tomorrow (Friday), June 19.
Herzog referred to the United Nations recent inclusion of Israel on the blacklist of countries and groups that use sexual violence in conflict, adding: "But what really outraged me was that the beginning of the description of the situation in Israel began by saying that the Israeli hostages who came back from captivity in Gaza made allegations that they went through sexual abuse and that the UN could not verify those allegations and this is why we're here, so that you can actually say what you went through."
The UN, said Dalal, "is fake. They should be protecting me. They're closing their eyes and they're pretending it didn’t happen."
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Guy Gilboa Dalal celebrates his return from Hamas captivity in Gaza at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv
(Photo: Dana Kopel)
Dalal once again described in detail the abuse he said he endured in Gaza. “So it was a couple of days before the second ceasefire before my friends Tal (Shoham) and Omer (Wenkert) left. And one of our captors he would shut the lights for hours and days and we could see nothing. He would treat us very bad. So one time he entered our tunnel and told me to come with him. He covered my eyes and he took me to their room, where he sat me on a chair and he said he's going to interrogate me. And he told me to get naked."
He said he then heard the terrorist typing on his computer and then "he asked me, ‘you haven't seen girls in a long time, right? Do you watch porn? Let’s make a porn movie together.’"
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Guy Gilboa Dalal in conversation with Israel's First Lady Michal Herzog
(Photo: Barak Meir Xmedia)
"I tried to use Islam because they always say how good Islam is and they believe in it so much, so I said 'you're joking, right? It's not allowed in Islam. And he just ignored me. He came behind me and he started to touch on my body, and to kiss my neck and my back," he said, adding: "I was so weak and he was so strong. I froze, I couldn't do anything. I just wanted it to stop. I thought a lot, maybe I should resist but what can I do."
Dalal said that after about 20 minutes the terrorist realized how afraid he was. "He put a knife on my throat and he said 'Don't ever tell anyone about this' and I swore that I won't tell anyone about it."
When Dalal returned to the tunnel and to his friends, he was unable to tell them what had happened. In his conversation with the First Lady, he explained that he feared for his life, and described a second incident of abuse.
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Guy Gilboa Dalal returns home to Alfei Menashe after his release from the hospital following his captivity
(Photo: Shaul Golan)
“At a time like this my brain really disconnected. It seems like forever, but I think it was like 20 minutes. Every second was like an entire lifetime and I froze again. More powerless than before. It was more brutal than the first time and I couldn’t resist even if I wanted to. When he finished he started to beat me and to punch me and to throw me on the ground and to lift me up and throw me and lift me, just playing with me," he described. "Before he let me go back to the tunnel he asked me to say that I love him. And of course I had to say it. When I returned I just couldn't speak the entire day. My brain was racing and I felt lost. I didn’t know what to do.”
Herzog responded, saying that what Dalal went though is "a very difficult and shattering experience for a young person to go through, especially in a place where you feel totally powerless. It is very brave of you to share this with us, and I think that bringing the truth and the true story is what we should bring to the world, and I thank you so much for doing that."
First published: 21:49, 06.18.26