Introduction

Orientalism is a theory developed by Edward Said that critiques the ways in which the West has historically constructed a distorted and essentialized image of the East, particularly the Middle East and North Africa. [1] Said argues that Orientalism is not merely an academic field but a framework through which Western scholars, writers, and policymakers have exerted power over the Orient by defining it in opposition to the rational, civilized, and superior West. This process of knowledge production, deeply embedded in colonial history, creates and reinforces stereotypes that portray Eastern societies as irrational, exotic, and “savages”. [2] Through this lens, the Orient becomes a subject to be studied, controlled, and dominated, rather than understood on its own terms. 

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Orientalism not only shapes academic discourse but also broader cultural and political narratives, influencing how history is written and how societies perceive themselves and others. This influence is evident in literature, art, and media, where depictions of the Middle East frequently rely on tropes of violence, despotism, and religious fanaticism. Such representations distort reality by obscuring the region’s complexity and diversity, while also fostering a sense of Western superiority. Scholars building on Said’s work, such as Homi Bhabha and Gayatri Spivak, have further explored how colonial discourse functions to marginalize and silence non-Western voices, demonstrating the enduring impact of Orientalist thought in global power structures. [3]

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On December 2023, The New York Times published an article titled "Screams Without Words: How Hamas Weaponized Sexual Violence on Oct. 7," detailing allegations of sexual violence committed during the October 7th attack by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups. [4] The report was centered on the case of Gal Abdush—widely recognized as “the woman in the black dress” after a circulated image showed her lying dead with her dress torn off. The story quickly went viral, spreading across media platforms and drawing international attention. However, further investigations resulted in concerns about the accuracy of the claims, raising questions about the allegations’ validity, and their role in shaping narratives regarding the conflict. 

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This paper seeks to examine the effects of the politicization of sexual violence and its broader implications on conflict. For the purpose of this paper, politicization will be defined as the assignment of political character or intentions to sexual violence and rape instead of its perception as a human rights issue. I hypothesize that the politicization of sexual violence is instrumentalized by Western media and political figures. This practice fails survivors of sexual violence in war by decentering them and preventing them from speaking up regarding their experiences, reducing the likelihood that they will receive adequate support.  By analyzing the trajectory of multiple debunked stories and their consequences on public opinion and women's rights advocacy, this paper highlights the urgent need for a depoliticized approach to addressing sexual violence in conflict zones. 

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As far as the New York Times report is concerned, the authors, sources, and lack of evidence raise questions about the specific allegations of sexual violence. In particular, the article was written by Jeffrey Gettleman, Anat Schwartz, and Adam Sella. Shortly after the report’s publication, Anat Schwartz was dismissed from the NYT when it was revealed that she had liked social media posts calling for “Gaza to be leveled by bulldozers” and referring to Palestinians as “human animals.”[5] Furthermore, Schwartz is not an investigative journalist but an Israeli filmmaker who studied theater and served in the IDF Air Force Intelligence. Based on The New York Times “Ethical Journalism” handbook, which sets strict standards about the organization’s staff, including not expressing political opinions, demonstrating, or conducting similar activities that demonstrate favoritism and erode objectivity, it appears  inappropriate that this author was assigned to such a sensitive and polarizing political issue.[6]  Her termination following public scrutiny underscores the ethical concerns surrounding the report’s content.

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​In addition to the objectivity of the authors, the unrigorous process of fact-checking might also raise concerns regarding the credibility of the report. In particular, in order to collect information for the story, The New York Times interviewed Abdush’s brother-in-law, who initially expressed fear that she had been raped. Yet, in a later interview with an Israeli newspaper after the NYT report was published, he acknowledged that “no one knows what really happened.”[7] This highlights that the NYT staff failed to fact check the information they received and did not conduct rigorous investigations before publishing such a personal and sensitive story.

Apart from the The New York Times report, two other rape allegations have been debunked since then. The first originated from Otmazgin, a volunteer with Zihuy Korbanot Ason (ZAKA), who initially suggested that a young woman had been raped. Speaking to the Associated Press, he stated:

"They slaughtered her. They shot her in the head, and her pants are pulled down to here. I put that out there. Have someone give me a different interpretation.”[8]

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However, after a three-month investigation, ZAKA retracted this claim. Upon verifying details with military sources, the organization found that a group of soldiers had dragged the woman’s body to check for potential booby traps, unintentionally displacing her clothing in the process.
 

​A second debunked claim came from another ZAKA volunteer, Landau, who saw the body of a woman alongside an unrecognizable mass connected to an electric cable and thought it was a pregnant woman with her fetus attached to the umbilical cord.[9] Despite his supervisor’s opinion that his interpretation was inaccurate, Landau still shared the story with journalists. His claim was later debunked by Haaretz and other media outlets.[10]

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Both of these false reports stemmed from ZAKA, a volunteer-based civilian organization focused on disaster victim identification, composed of approximately 3,000 mostly Orthodox Jewish members. Since ZAKA volunteers are not trained investigators, their interpretations of events can be inaccurate, adding to the already immense challenge of determining what happened to those killed on October 7th. Gideon Aran, a sociologist at Hebrew University in Jerusalem who has studied ZAKA, noted:

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“They pretend to know, sometimes very naively, what happened to the bodies they are dealing with.”[11]

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It is important to highlight that the reality of sexual violence during October 7th cannot be denied. In particular, the United Nations (UN) highlighted that investigators found

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“…credible circumstantial information which may be indicative of some forms of sexual violence, including genital mutilation, sexualized torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.”[12]

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However, the issue lies not in acknowledging these crimes but in the intention of Western media to shape a narrative that contributes to the dehumanization of Palestinians. The New York Times’ report, despite aiming to shed light on these atrocities, failed to uphold rigorous journalistic standards by centering unverified and ultimately debunked claims. If media outlets rush to publish unconfirmed stories, it does not serve justice for survivors—instead, it fuels political agendas and opens the door for misinformation to spread. This dynamic is highlighted by a statement made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

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“I say to the women’s rights organizations, to the human rights organizations, you’ve heard of the rape of Israeli women, horrible atrocities, sexual mutilation — where the hell are you? I expect all civilized leaders, government, nations to speak up against this atrocity.” [13]

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Netanyahu’s statement exemplifies how the politicization of sexual violence can promote anger towards a population, rather than address the issue as a human rights concern. By demanding that women’s rights and human rights organizations speak out against the alleged rapes of Israeli women through the phrase “where the hell are you?”, Netanyahu’s framing suggests selective outrage or hypocrisy on the part of these organizations. His rhetoric, however, failed to center survivors or seek justice for victims; instead, it positioned sexual violence as a tool to rally political support for Israel’s military response. By invoking the language of “civilized leaders, organizations, and nations,” Netanyahu’s statement aligns with this historical pattern and contributes to the dehumanization of Palestinians, reinforcing long-standing depictions of Arab men as uncivilized. This approach aligns with research on the weaponization of gender-based violence in conflict, where accusations of rape and sexual assault are strategically used to justify aggressive retaliation, demonize the enemy, and shape international opinion. 

 

Previous research has shown that in cases of war, allegations of sexual violence are frequently utilized to construct moral hierarchies, where one side is framed as barbaric while the other is seen as the defender of civilization. For example, during World War I, Allied propaganda widely disseminated reports of German soldiers committing mass sexual violence against Belgian women, a narrative that historians later revealed was often exaggerated or unverified, designed to justify military intervention and reinforce the image of the German enemy as barbaric.[14] Similarly, during the political upheavals of the English Restoration period, theatrical depictions of sexual violence were strategically used alongside political tracts to shape public perception and align political factions with moral virtue while demonizing their opponents.[15] Lastly, this was also common pattern in the former Yugoslavia, where opposing sides used allegations of mass sexual violence to gain international support and secure military assistance.[16] Hence, it has been a historically common tactic to weaponize “the protection of women’s rights and sexuality” during wartime to vilify the enemy.

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The impact of the politicization of rape on women’s rights  

Rape and sexual violence are a recognized as a deliberate practice or strategy of warfare.[17] From Sudan, to Ukraine, Afghanistan and Gaza, women are the primary targets of conflict related sexual violence. 

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“Women and girls account for more than 95% of the total 3,622 UN-verified cases. In 1,186 cases of sexual violence, the victims were children, with girls accounting for 1,157 (98%) of the victims.”[18]

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This highlights the urgency of treating sexual violence in war as a human rights concern, not a political tool. The politicization of sexual violence in the context of the October 7th attack shifts the discourse away from justice for victims and instead weaponizes their suffering. This distracts from the broader reality that women in conflict zones face, diminishes the urgency of combating rape as a weapon of war, and undermines advocacy for survivors, sidelining their actual needs. Centering female voices and having a bottom-up approach that allows them to have agency over their stories is crucial in regaining control.

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Furthermore, when allegations are exaggerated, misreported, or used selectively, it damages the credibility of advocacy efforts. This can make it more difficult for real cases of women who experience wartime sexual violence to be believed and addressed around the world. The fear of reporting sexual violence in conflict zones already is exacerbated by societal stigmatization apart from political manipulation, leading to underreporting and a lack of accountability for perpetrators. As mentioned in Olivia Licata’s paper, survivors of sexual violence in Sudan are discouraged against speaking up and are often blamed for their own rapes.  This environment of mistrust and fear created by the media under such circumstance further discourages survivors from coming forward, thereby undermining justice and support mechanisms intended to assist them.

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Conclusion

The controversy surrounding the multiple debunked articles on sexual violence during the October 7th attack underscores a critical issue: when war crimes are filtered through political agendas, truth becomes secondary to narrative control. The rush to frame events within pre-existing geopolitical battles not only distorts reality but also erodes the credibility of journalism and human rights advocacy. More importantly, it reduces survivors of sexual violence to symbols or weapons rather than individuals in need of justice and support.

 

For sexual violence in war to be meaningfully addressed, it must be treated as more than a political weapon. This requires a commitment to rigorous investigative standards, an awareness of the historical biases that shape narratives, and a refusal to allow female suffering to be instrumentalized for military or ideological ends. The failure to do so does not just misrepresent specific events—it sets back the global fight against gender-based violence and war crimes, making it harder for women to talk publicly about their personal experiences of sexual violence. 

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Endnotes

1.  Said, Edward. Orientalism. Penguin Classics, 2003.

2.  Ibid.

3.  Schwarz, Henry, and Sangeeta Ray. A Companion to Postcolonial Studies, 2005, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9780470997024.ch24. 

4.  Gettleman, Jeffrey, et al. “‘Screams without Words’: How Hamas Weaponized Sexual Violence on Oct. 7.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 28 Dec. 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/12/28/world/middleeast/oct-7-attacks-hamas-israel-sexual-violence.html. 

5.  Rascoe, Ayesha. “An Investigation into a New York Times Story Is Causing Internal Chaos at the Company.” NPR, NPR, 3 Mar. 2024, www.npr.org/2024/03/03/1235606433/an-investigation-into-a-new-york-times-story-is-causing-internal-chaos-at-the-co. 

6.  “Ethical Journalism.” The New York Times, 2024, www.nytimes.com/editorial-standards/ethical-journalism.html. 

7.  Folkenflik, David. “Newsroom at ‘New York Times’ Fractures over Story on Hamas Attacks.” NPR, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024, www.npr.org/2024/03/06/1236130609/new-york-times-hamas-attacks-israel-palestine. 

8.  Goldenberg, Tia, and Julia Frankel. “How 2 Debunked Accounts of Sexual Violence on Oct. 7 Fueled a Global Dispute over Israel-Hamas War.” AP News, AP News, 22 May 2024, apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-sexual-violence-zaka-ca7905bf9520b1e646f86d72cdf03244. 

9.  Goldenberg, Tia, and Julia Frankel. “How 2 Debunked Accounts of Sexual Violence on Oct. 7 Fueled a Global Dispute over Israel-Hamas War.” AP News, AP News, 22 May 2024, apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-sexual-violence-zaka-ca7905bf9520b1e646f86d72cdf03244. 

10. Ibid.

11. Ibid.

12.  “Official Visit of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict to Israel and the Occupied West Bank – 29 January – 14 February 2024 – Mission Report.” United Nations, Mar. 2024, www.un.org/unispal/document/mission-report-official-visit-of-the-office-of-the-srsg-svc-4mar24/. 

13.  Becky Sullivan Michele Kelemen “Israel presses U.N. to investigate charges of sexual violence by Hamas fighters,” NPR, December 6, 2023, https://www.npr.org/2023/12/06/1217668564/israel-hamas-rape-sexual-violence-oct-7 (accessed June 17, 2024).

14.  Scharf, Michaela. “Sexual Violence in Allied War Propaganda.” Der Erste Weltkrieg, 17 Aug. 2014, ww1.habsburger.net/en/chapters/sexual-violence-allied-war-propaganda?utm_source=chatgpt.com. 

15.  Airey, Jennifer L. “The Politics of Rape: Sexual Atrocity, Propaganda Wars, and the Restoration Stage.” University of Delaware Press, udpress.udel.edu/book-title/the-politics-of-rape/?utm_source=chatgpt.com. Accessed 8 Mar. 2025. 

16.  Thomas, Dorothy Q., and Regan E. Ralph. “Rape in War: Challenging the Tradition of Impunity.” SAIS Review, Johns Hopkins University Press, 11 July 2012, muse.jhu.edu/article/434315/summary. 

17. Wood, Elisabeth Jean. Rape as a Practice of War: Toward a Typology of Political Violence, Yale University, 2018, www.un.org/sexualviolenceinconflict/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/report/rape-as-a-practice-of-war-toward-a-typology-of-political-violence/wood-PS-2018-rape-as-a-practice-of-war.pdf.

18. “Women and Girls Are Disproportionately Affected by Conflict-Related Sexual Violence.” United Nations Western Europe, 19 June 2024, unric.org/en/women-and-girls-are-disproportionately-affected-by-conflict-related-sexual-violence/.