‘I Wished for Death’: New Evidence of Israel’s Rape Campaign against Palestinians Ignored

 

November 12, 2025

Newly acquired testimonies reveal harrowing evidence of rape and sexual violence committed by Israel against Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) recently released harrowing evidence of rape and sexual violence committed against Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip. If such a press release about Israelis suffering the same abuses was published by a rights group, it would be headline news around the world. Instead, it has been completely ignored.

In a story that the corporate media in the West dares not touch, due to their blatant and racist double standards demonstrating their lack of value for Palestinian life, new testimonies recorded by PCHR workers reveal horrifying, detailed accounts of rape. Those interviewed were Palestinians from Gaza, who were kidnapped without justification and held hostage under military detention.

The testimonies revealed a range of rape and sexual torture, including gang-rape, rape using dogs, in addition to rape with bottles and sticks. A 42-year-old Palestinian woman, who is also a mother, testified to being brutally raped by Israeli forces four times. Below is that testimony that Western media have not dared to report:

“At dawn I heard the soldiers shouting, saying that morning prayers were forbidden, and I think it was the fourth day after my arrest from Gaza. The soldiers moved me to a place I didn’t know because my eyes were blindfolded, and they ordered me to take off my clothes. I did so. They put me on a metal table, pressed my chest and head against it, cuffed my hands to the end of the bed, and pulled my legs apart forcefully. I felt a penis penetrating my anus and a man raping me. I started screaming, and they beat me on my back and head while I was blindfolded. I felt the man who was raping me ejaculate inside my anus. I kept screaming and being beaten, and I could hear a camera – so I believe they were filming me. The rape lasted about 10 minutes. After that, they left me for an hour in the same position, with my hands cuffed to the bed with metal handcuffs, my face on the bed, my feet on the floor, and I was completely naked.

“Again, after an hour, I was raped fully in the same position, with penetration into my vagina, and I was beaten while I screamed. There were several soldiers; I heard them laughing and the camera clicking as it took pictures. This rape was very quick and there was no ejaculation. During the rape, they beat me with their hands, on my head and back.

“I cannot describe what I felt; I wished for death every moment. After they raped me, I was left alone in the same room, hands still cuffed to the bed and without clothes for many hours. I could hear the soldiers outside speaking Hebrew and laughing. Later, I was raped again, vaginally. I screamed, but they beat me whenever I tried to resist. After more than an hour, I’m not sure about the time, a masked soldier entered, removed my blindfold, lifted his face covering; he had white skin and was tall. He asked if I spoke English; I said no. He said he was Russian and ordered me to masturbate his penis. I refused, and he hit me in the face after raping me.

“That day, I was raped twice. I was left naked the whole day in the room, where I spent three days. On the first day I was raped twice; on the second day I was raped twice; on the third day I remained without clothes, while they looked at me through the door slit and filmed me. One soldier said they would post my photos on social media. While I was in the room, my period started; then they told me to put on clothes and transferred me to another room.”

This series of newly recorded testimonies comes amidst Israel’s investigation into the leaking of a video from the infamous Sde Teiman torture facility, which has been compared to Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. The Israeli military’s top lawyer, Major-General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, resigned from her position and confessed to leaking the footage of a brutal gang rape incident.

Notably, Tomer-Yerushalmi was jailed and had even allegedly attempted suicide over the probe into her actions. The incident triggered an international outcry, as thousands of Israelis protested in favor of ten reservist soldiers who were accused of involvement in the gang rape, dubbed Israel’s “right to rape” protests.

These demonstrators and rioters, who even broke into a military base, were backed by members of the Israeli Knesset. Israel’s Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, had labeled the accused gang of rapists as “heroes”, while one of the released soldiers openly bragged about his actions on public television.

From the original 10 soldiers who were detained, only half of them are being charged, but not with rape. Meanwhile, the Israeli legal system appears more invested in punishing the army’s own top lawyer for leaking the video of what occurred.

Many of the recorded incidents of rape occurred at the infamous Sde Teiman detention facility, as survivors have detailed the horrors that they were subjected to there.

However, sexual violence and rape have been recorded inside Gaza, in addition to there being similar incidents inside Israel’s actual prison system. There are still approximately 11,000 Palestinians who are held hostage in these facilities, many of whom are likely suffering similar abuses.

Despite the copious documented evidence of the most brutal forms of rape and sexual violence, by a number of human rights organizations, the UN, and lawyers, the issue has never been taken seriously in the Western corporate media.

~ The Palestine Chronicle ~

Israel’s ‘right to abuse’ protests explained

Nov. 12, 2025 - Lawyers representing four Israeli reservists accused of raping a male prisoner, says they acted in ‘self-defence’. Meanwhile, groups of Israelis and lawmakers have defended their right to abuse prisoners. Soraya Lennie breaks it down.

The education system in Gaza is on the verge of collapse

November 12, 2025

Amna Al-Dabash wrote: War not only kills people, but it also kills hope and dreams and destroys the most important thing that peoples possess: education. When the war of genocide broke out on Gaza, one of the priorities of the Israeli occupation was to target schools and universities, where school desks turned into a painful memory in the memory of generations, and the classrooms became ruins and the curricula became just lost papers on the edge of the roads.

Weakening of society:

The education system in Gaza is one of the basic pillars for building a cohesive society capable of facing challenges. However, the siege, attacks, and violations perpetrated by the Israeli occupation have weakened its infrastructure and exposed it to collapse under the weight of bombing and destruction, depriving entire generations of their natural right to education. In contrast, others live in safer areas in better conditions, creating a knowledge and social gap that is difficult to bridge even after the end of the war.

A Message in a Time of Death:

Teachers in Gaza are paying a heavy price, just like the rest of society, as the brutal war has targeted educational personnel, who are the cornerstone of rebuilding future generations.

Many teachers have lost their families, their homes, or even their lives. Despite this, some continue to fulfill their educational mission under harsh conditions, from the destruction of schools and universities to the ravages of war and its aftermath, including forced displacement where the most basic necessities are lacking, and the transformation of schools into shelters for the displaced. Thus, education loses its natural place and its vital role in the life of Gazan society.

Despite all this pain, the Palestinian teacher remains a symbol of resilience, planting hope in the minds of generations even in the darkest moments, believing that knowledge is the strongest weapon against destruction and that building humanity is the first step towards rebuilding the homeland.

With eyes fixed on hope, the collapse of the education system in Gaza has left profound and multifaceted psychological, social, and academic scars on students, making them among the most vulnerable and suffering groups. Many children and young people now face a tragic reality that pushes them toward the specter of death in their search for quick ways to earn money to meet their needs and support their families. External agendas have not left them alone; rather, the shadow of American-Zionist conspiracies, cloaked in the guise of "humanity" and "justice," has cast a shadow over their very nature, targeting their awareness and robbing them of their future. They are lured by money and lured away from the path of knowledge in the absence of an effective education system that provides them with opportunities for learning and development.

This reality weighs heavily on them, both psychologically and physically, creating a generation under immense pressure, lacking stable educational opportunities and living in a state of constant anxiety about their academic and professional futures in a world that shows no mercy to the weak and offers them no real chance to rise up.

The targeting of education in Gaza cannot be considered a mere side effect of war or an accidental consequence of crises. Rather, it is part of a systematic plan aimed at obliterating Palestinian national identity and stripping generations of their awareness, culture, and sense of belonging. This deliberate ignorance is not accidental but a tool of the occupation to keep Palestinian society in a state of perpetual weakness and fragmentation.

Therefore, the responsibility for saving education does not fall on any one entity alone; it is a shared national, humanitarian, and moral duty requiring concerted efforts from local and international institutions, civil society, and families to support students and teachers, rebuild schools, and provide a safe and stable learning environment. Every step in this direction represents a direct investment in the future of Palestine and a message of resilience in the face of attempts at cultural and intellectual annihilation.

The continuation of education is an act of resistance, a weapon in the battle for awareness, and a means of building a generation capable of transforming suffering into creativity, destruction into construction, and despair into hope. It is the true testament that, despite its wounds, Gaza will remain a beacon of knowledge and life.

~ Wattan News Agency ~

Hamas Fighters Will Never Surrender As Long As Israel Demands They Be Put To Death

Hamas Fighters in Rafah; Washington Seeks Their Denial for Years… Israel Wants Their Surrender

 

November 12, 2025

The United States has urged Israel to approve a mediators’ proposal to grant a safe passage for Al-Qassam fighters outside the areas under Israeli military control in Gaza, while “U.S. pressure on Israel continues, even after Israel’s official opposition to this step.”

Israeli Channel 12 reported that U.S. envoy Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law who arrived in Israel today, will discuss with Prime Minister Netanyahu the evacuation of 150 Hamas fighters from within the “yellow line” to a third country, noting that negotiations are being conducted through Turkey.

Meanwhile, a senior Turkish official told Reuters regarding the trapped militants in Rafah under Israeli-controlled territory that Turkey is working to provide a safe passage for 200 civilians trapped in the tunnels.

According to Channel 12, the U.S. administration considers the presence of Al-Qassam fighters in the Rafah tunnels a “source of tension that has led to two serious escalations, undermined the ceasefire, and they want to defuse this threat.”

High-ranking U.S. officials reportedly conveyed to Israel that the situation could serve as a “pilot project” to disarm Hamas in Gaza.

The main current U.S. approach to resolve the Rafah crisis is to temporarily relocate the fighters to a third country. However, no country has yet agreed to host them.

Under the plan being formulated by the United States and Turkey, the Hamas fighters in Rafah would pledge not to return to militant activities, surrender their weapons, and receive amnesty from Israel. They would be detained in a third country for several years, with the exact duration still under negotiation. If they refrain from resuming their militant activities, they could return to Gaza after the exile period ends.

During U.S.-Israel talks, Americans emphasized that if Israel rejects this proposal and insists on killing or arresting the Hamas fighters, it would “send a message to all other Hamas members in the Gaza Strip, who would have no option but to return to fighting, as Israel would not grant them amnesty anyway, even if they surrendered,” according to the report.

In recent days, Washington has held talks with Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt to return the remains of Israeli officer Hadar Goldin, which Tel Aviv received on Sunday. A Turkish official said Ankara helped return Goldin’s remains, describing it as “the result of intensive efforts by Turkey and reflecting Hamas’s clear commitment to the ceasefire.”

The Turkish official added that Turkey is simultaneously working to ensure safe passage for about 200 Hamas members currently trapped in the Rafah tunnels.

A U.S. official stated that although there is no direct connection between the two issues, the Trump administration “believes that the return of Goldin provides an opportunity to resolve the Rafah crisis.”

Israel: “We Won’t Kill Them… If They Surrender”

Israeli security officials do not rule out that the U.S. administration may request that Israel allow 150–200 trapped Al-Qassam fighters in Rafah to return to Gaza via a “safe passage,” under the pretext of realizing President Trump’s vision, amid U.S. pressure to start the second phase of the ceasefire plan, according to Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan 11).

Kan 11 reported that Israel’s proposal to resolve the crisis is: “We won’t kill them if they surrender; they will be arrested and interrogated in Israel.”

The report noted that Washington is pressuring Israel to begin implementing the second phase of Trump’s ceasefire plan, which includes, among other things, sending foreign teams into Gaza and initiating preliminary reconstruction steps with a focus on Rafah. However, the continued presence of Al-Qassam fighters in an underground tunnel in Rafah “hinders U.S. objectives.”

Kan 11 stated that Trump’s senior advisors, Steve Whitkoff and Jared Kushner, will meet with Israeli officials on Monday to try to resolve the Rafah issue, noting that “Israel will make a decision on this matter after consultations with U.S. officials.”

The U.S. urges Israel to approve the mediators’ proposal for safe passage for Al-Qassam fighters outside the areas controlled by the Israeli army in Gaza, while “U.S. pressure on Israel continues, even after official Israeli opposition to this step,” according to Kan 11.

It is expected that since Hamas has already committed, as part of the agreement, to return all captives, once it fulfills its obligations—including the case of Hadar Goldin, whose remains were returned on Sunday—“Israel will take a more positive stance toward this step.”

According to an Israeli source, during government discussions, it was promised that after the evacuation of the trapped Hamas fighters from Rafah, “the tunnels will be destroyed, and a model city will be built in Rafah, serving as a Hamas-free Gaza city, accommodating residents not affiliated with Hamas, with an international force in the area.”

Netanyahu May Use Goldin’s Remains to Accept Mediators’ Proposal

Haaretz reported on Sunday that Israel’s political leadership has struggled to assess whether the return of Goldin’s remains would represent a step toward an agreement allowing the trapped Hamas members to exit Rafah safely and whether this would pave the way for the second phase of the U.S. president’s plan.

In recent days, political sources noted that Goldin’s remains are already included in the agreement with Hamas, and even if Israel is pressured to release the Al-Qassam fighters, it would not be directly linked to Goldin’s return.

The U.S. administration fears that a violent confrontation between militants and Israeli forces in the area under Israeli control could jeopardize the ceasefire agreement.

Haaretz reported that if Israel approves this step, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to define the departure of the Al-Qassam fighters as a surrender, demand they hand over their weapons, and clearly declare that they will not return to terrorism.

According to an informed source cited in the report, Netanyahu will not make decisions on this matter until after consulting with U.S. officials.

The report also noted that Netanyahu “may use the return of Goldin’s body to prepare Israeli public opinion and the extremists in his government to grant amnesty to 200 Hamas members.

~ Palestine News Network ~

Under Fire and Displaced: Palestinian Women Endure Settler Attacks in the West Bank

Amid rising violence and land seizures, families like Aisha Shteiyeh’s in Beit Dajan face daily assaults and forced displacement under the protection of Israeli forces.

November 12, 2025

Settler attacks on Palestinians, their homes, and property in the occupied West Bank have sharply increased since 7 October 2023. Organised actions by settler groups known as the “Hilltop Youth,” “Hilltop Girls,” and “Price Tag” have become more visible, with the open backing of far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Alongside these assaults, plans to annex parts of the West Bank and seize more Palestinian land — particularly in Area C, as designated under the 1993 Oslo Accords — have come to light.

In the village of Beit Dajan, near Nablus in the northern West Bank, the story of Aisha Shtayyeh and her family reflect a pattern of settler and Israeli army violence targeting land, livestock, and livelihoods. According to Mohammad Shtayyeh, the family has endured a systematic campaign of harassment since 7 October — daily attacks affecting the elderly parents, their son, grandchildren, animals, and crops.

Aisha, her voice heavy with pain, recalls the day settlers forced the family to abandon their home — a house she and her husband spent 35,000 dinars building, filled with memories, effort, and dreams of dignity. The settlers looted the family’s electrical appliances, uprooted olive, lemon, and orange trees, and forced them to live in a makeshift tin shack, its floor covered with rubble and a few pieces of old furniture, surrounded by barbed wire and lacking even the most basic living conditions.

Mohammad recounts the events of 15–18 October, when groups of settlers gathered and launched an organised assault on the house. “They threatened us, broke our solar panels, smashed the doors, destroyed the furniture, punctured the water tanks and the tractor tyres, and then set the house on fire while we were inside,” he said. “Our only concern was to get the children out and keep them safe.”

When the Israeli army and police arrived, it was not to protect the family from settler attacks but to order them to leave, claiming it was for their safety. After evacuating the children, the family tried to return, but the army prevented them. When Mohammad attempted to photograph the damage to preserve memories of their home, soldiers broke his phone and confiscated it.

The ordeal of Aisha’s family mirrors that of hundreds of Palestinian families subjected to what residents and rights groups describe as a systematic campaign of displacement and destruction — an attempt to impose a new reality on the ground through coordinated settler and military action.

According to the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, Israel has confiscated hundreds of dunums of land in Area C under “security and military” pretexts to establish new settlement outposts. The commission documented 97 settler attacks in October alone and 2,350 incidents over the past two years. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities announced tenders in July 2024 for the construction of 5,300 new housing units across the West Bank.

This report was produced as part of the Qarib Project, implemented by the French Media Development Agency (CFI) and funded by the French Development Agency (AFD).

~ Palesftine News Network ~

EU pledges continued political and financial support as international efforts seek to stabilise Palestinian economy

Shadi Othman [Ramallah / PNN /]

Nov. 12, 2025 - Shadi Othman, media officer at the European Union office in Jerusalem, has announced that Palestinian Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad Shtayyeh will participate in the upcoming international donors’ conference in Brussels on 20 November. The conference will host a wide array of countries and international institutions to discuss ways of supporting the Palestinian economy and addressing the severe financial crisis facing the State of Palestine.

Speaking exclusively to PNN from Ramallah, Othman said the conference represents a coordinated international effort to find long-term solutions to the Palestinian financial crisis. He noted that the Israeli authorities’ withholding of Palestinian tax revenues remains the main cause of the current crisis, calling for their immediate release to enable the government to meet its obligations and provide essential public services.

Othman added that the European Union will reaffirm its political and financial support for the State of Palestine during the conference, as part of the funding package approved last summer. This package includes financing for development and service projects, as well as direct support for the general budget, in line with European efforts to strengthen the resilience of the Palestinian people and support state institutions.

According to European diplomatic sources, the conference aims to re-coordinate international efforts to support the Palestinian economy by providing sustainable funding for the Palestinian Authority and ensuring the continued delivery of essential services in education, health, and social care. The conference will also address mechanisms for reconstruction in the Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister Shtayyeh is expected to present the government’s financial and administrative reform plan, its programme for economic recovery, and initiatives to increase transparency in public financial management. These measures are intended to restore donor confidence and secure ongoing international support.

The Brussels conference is seen as a key political and economic milestone for the Palestinian government and an opportunity to rebuild trust with the international community. It also provides a platform to hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its financial policies, which have exacerbated the crisis, while diplomatic efforts continue to secure urgent and sustainable funding to ensure the stability and continuity of Palestinian state institutions.

~ Palestine News Network ~

LIVE UPDATES 11/12/2025: Air strikes target northern Gaza

Trump asks Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu, says corruption trial ‘unjustified’

November 12, 2025

• Israeli warplanes have launched three air strikes on Beit Lahiya in northeastern Gaza while gunfire has been heard from Israeli forces stationed east of the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.
• Israel says it has opened the Zikim crossing into northern Gaza to allow the entry of humanitarian aid supplied by the UN and other international organisations.
• The office of Israeli President Isaac Herzog says it has received a letter from US President Donald Trump urging him to consider granting a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
• Israeli forces are conducting raids across the occupied West Bank, demolishing structures and detaining Palestinians.
• Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 69,182 Palestinians and wounded 170,694 since October 2023. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks, and about 200 were taken captive.

More HERE

This is the Genocide Our Taxes Have Been Paying For

Gaza’s ‘lost generation’ lose childhood to family care roles

Thousands of children in Gaza have been forced to take on adult responsibilities such as providing food, water and caring for family members injured by Israeli attacks. The UN says this ‘lost generation’ of children needs urgent help to get over the trauma of war.

Israeli soldiers speak out on killings of Gaza civilians

Israeli security forces drive past the ruins of buildings in Gaza City. The documentary shows the mental strain on at least some soldiers in Gaza. Photograph: Ohad Zwigenberg/AP

Nov. 10, 2025 - Israeli soldiers have described a free-for-all in Gaza and a breakdown in norms and legal constraints, with civilians killed at the whim of individual officers, according to testimony in a TV documentary.

“If you want to shoot without restraint, you can,” Daniel, the commander of an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tank unit, says in Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War, due to be broadcast in the UK on ITV on Monday evening.

More HERE

COP30 summit warned Gaza faces catastrophic environmental crisis

Palestine’s ambassador to Brazil told the COP30 climate summit that Israel’s genocide in Gaza and occupation of Palestinian land has added significantly to the climate crisis.