A former Israeli hostage, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, has made shocking allegations of sexual abuse, torture and degrading treatment during his captivity by Hamas in Gaza. He was held for 739 days after being abducted from the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023.

In an interview with the First Lady of Israel, Michal Herzog, the 24-year-old described in detail incidents of sexual violence which were inflicted on him by one of his guards in underground tunnels in Gaza.

His testimony comes just days after the publication of the UN Secretary-General’s annual report on conflict-related sexual violence, which outrageously notes that allegations by Israeli hostages of sexual abuse could not be verified with the available evidence.

“Every second felt like a lifetime”

A Hamas guard took him alone into a room, blindfolded him and forced him to undress under threat of a knife.

The terrorist man then began making sexual remarks before carrying out abusive acts against him. “He said to me: You haven’t seen girls for a long time, right? Do you watch porn? Do you want to see porn? Do you want us to make a porn film together?”

“I couldn’t do anything. I just wanted it to stop,” Dalal said, describing a feeling of complete helplessness.

After the incident, the guard repeatedly threatened to kill him if he revealed what had happened. The attacker first placed a knife to his throat and later pointed a gun at his head, demanding silence.

In a second incident, which he described as even more traumatic, Dalal said a simple shower turned into a violent sexual assault. After being allowed to wash, he was taken naked to another room where he was again abused.

“Every second felt like a lifetime,” he said, adding that during the assault he felt psychologically detached from what was happening.

After the abuse, the guard beat him and repeated death threats. Dalal also claimed he was forced to tell his abuser that he loved him in order to prevent further violence.

“They made him behave like a dog”

The former hostage also described humiliation incidents involving other captives. In one case, he and fellow hostage Omer Wenkert were taken to a room where, he claims, the guard ordered Wenkert to get on all fours and bark like a dog.

The two men were then beaten, with the attacker claiming it was “punishment” for the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

Dalal was released on 13 October 2025, more than two years after his abduction. Following his return, he was found to be suffering from infections, partial hearing loss in one ear, and severe skin conditions.

His family says he is undergoing psychological treatment for trauma caused by the captivity.

Speaking later to Israeli Channel 13, he described the abuse he suffered as sexual violence aimed at complete humiliation.

“The goal was to destroy my dignity. And that is exactly what they did,” he said, adding that every day in captivity felt like an endless hell. “I came back from meeting the devil,” he said.

His allegations add to other testimonies from former hostages who have described sexual abuse, beatings and threats during their captivity in Gaza.

Among them is 62-year-old Aviva Siegel, who told the UN Committee Against Torture in Geneva that she witnessed the sexual abuse of a 16-year-old girl by a Hamas member.

Former hostage and Nova festival security guard Rom Braslavski has also previously publicly stated that he suffered severe torture and degrading treatment during captivity.

“I had all my clothes removed, even my underwear. I was tied up completely naked. I was broken, dying, without food. I was praying to God: please save me, get me out of this. And you just ask yourself: what the hell is going on?”

He added: “And while I was there, every day, after every beating, I told myself: I survived another day in hell. Tomorrow morning, I’ll wake up in another hell. And another. And another. It never ends.”

The reports have triggered strong reactions in Israel and internationally. However, and as expected, Hamas has rejected the claims, previously describing them as “baseless accusations and false allegations.”