Gaza Herald_ The British government allocated £90,000 (approximately $114,000) in taxpayer money to support an Israeli research project whose conclusions about alleged sexual violence on October 7 were later cited to rally international backing for Israel’s war on Gaza, according to reporting by Novara Media.
Documents released through a Freedom of Information request reveal that the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) covered 75 percent of a four-month initiative led by The Dinah Project, an organization based at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. The funding proposal explicitly stated that the project aimed to demonstrate the “systematic and premeditated” nature of sexual violence allegedly committed on October 7.
The report, published in July 2025 under the title A Quest for Justice: October 7 and Beyond, concluded that sexual violence during the attacks was “widespread and systematic” and described it as a deliberate “weapon of war.”
Israeli officials later openly acknowledged the political utility of the report. During a session in the Knesset, a representative from Israel’s National Public Diplomacy Directorate described it as “a significant public diplomacy tool,” noting that the campaign built around it was circulated “by all the means we have as a state.” In other words, the report became part of Israel’s global messaging effort as it intensified its military campaign in Gaza.
No Independent Confirmation of Systematic Rape
Despite the weight given to the report in political discourse, no independent international investigation has determined that rape was used systematically or as an organized weapon of war on October 7.
A December 2025 investigation by Amnesty International found that sexual assault may have occurred during the attacks. However, it reported no evidence that Hamas or other Palestinian armed groups ordered or directed fighters to commit acts of sexual violence.
Similarly, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls Reem Alsalem stated that no independent human rights body has concluded that sexual or gender-based violence was deployed as a systematic tool of war or genocide.
Early Claims Under Scrutiny
Earlier media narratives about mass rape have also been challenged. An investigation published by Middle East Monitor examined the initial wave of reporting and argued that many of the most widely circulated allegations relied on anonymous sources, unverified testimonies, and statements that were later revised or withdrawn.
That report highlighted the absence of forensic evidence substantiating claims of large-scale, systematic rape and argued that the narrative gained global traction before independent verification had taken place.
It also drew comparisons to historical instances in which unproven allegations of sexual violence were weaponized to generate public support for collective punishment against marginalized communities.
While allegations of sexual violence remain under review, no recognized international authority has concluded that rape was used in a coordinated or policy-driven manner.
Funding Disparities and Double Standards
Critics have also pointed to what they describe as a stark double standard. The UK government has not funded similar investigations into documented allegations of sexual and gender-based violence committed against Palestinians.
In March 2025, the UN’s independent Commission of Inquiry on Palestine and Israel reported that Israeli forces carried out acts of sexual, reproductive, and gender-based violence during the war in Gaza. The report detailed allegations, including sexual humiliation, abuse of detainees, and the destruction of reproductive healthcare facilities.
The UK government has not formally responded to those findings.
In correspondence with Novara Media, the FCDO stated that it condemns sexual violence wherever it occurs but declined to comment directly on its decision to fund the Israeli research project.
