“Israeli rape hoax.” “She deserved it.” “Another Zionazi lie.” These represent only a few of the thousands of malicious comments that flooded social media after the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas. Victims of brutal sexual violence—women who were raped, tortured and some paraded through Gaza as trophies—have been met often not with compassion, but with cruelty. Their stories, instead of evoking solidarity, have been twisted, mocked and erased on platforms like X, Instagram and TikTok in what can only be considered a “second assault,” retraumatizing survivors, intimidating witnesses and shielding perpetrators.

One of the first victims to come forward publicly was Amit Soussana, who was kidnapped, held hostage and subjected to sexual assault and torture while in captivity. After offering her testimony, she was met with a torrent of online abuse, including posts dismissing her as a fraud: “Zionist-Nazi occupiers’ narrative is never true”; “Amit just wants to sell her book or story so she needs victimization”; and “They all lie, it’s part of their DNA.” She was attacked by Jackson Hinkle, a political commentator and social media influencer with more than 3.4 million followers on X, who responded to Soussana’s account by declaring, “I don’t believe any women, let alone ZIONIST GENOCIDE supporting women!”

According to The New York Times and other major outlets, behind many of these posts are unprecedented, coordinated campaigns led by trolls—social media users who deliberately post inflammatory comments to provoke a reaction; bots, which are nonhuman, automated programs whose application is typically malicious; and state-backed accounts from Russia, Iran and China. These actors flood online spaces with doubt and derision. Perpetrators are recast as victims, while credible evidence is drowned in a sea of conspiracy theories and hateful lies.

This pattern is not unique to Israel. In my recent report, “On Land and Online: Conflict-Related Sexual Violence and the Social Media Battlefield,” commissioned by Jewish Women International (JWI), I documented similar online attacks on survivors and witnesses of wartime rape across Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar and Iraq. Yet what makes the experience of Israeli survivors especially tragic is both the extent of their harassment and the undermining of solidarity with many longtime allies.  

Some women’s rights organizations and advocacy groups engaged in internal debate after October 7 about which “side” of the conflict to support, implying that they were unable to support all female survivors, regardless of politics. Gender studies departments, including the University of California, Berkeley Gender and Women’s Studies Department, even sponsored virtual events that amplified the false claim of an “Israeli rape hoax.” This silence and distortion created a dangerous vacuum on social media, allowing disinformation to flourish unchecked.

As a lifelong political activist, feminist and former United States ambassador to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, I was deeply shocked to witness the undermining of solidarity with survivors, a betrayal driven by longtime feminist allies who struggled to hold compassion for all victims simultaneously. This fracture revealed a painful truth that to some, not all women are considered worthy of support.

Such damaging division has had far-reaching consequences. No other group of victims has been so swiftly and broadly discredited. No other community of truth-tellers has faced such relentless backlash for simply bearing witness. Even Pramila Patten, the United Nations special representative on sexual violence in conflict, who confirmed credible evidence of rape and gang rape against Israeli women on and after October 7 in her March 2024 report, has faced vicious personal attacks and attempts to undermine her credibility.

The online assault continues, even as evidence grows stronger. In July 2025, the Dinah Project, comprised largely of a group of Israeli legal experts, released its landmark report, “A Quest for Justice: October 7 and Beyond,” which represents a milestone in addressing conflict-related sexual violence. The report meticulously compiles a comprehensive account of the sexual violence that occurred on and after October 7, including firsthand survivor and witness reports, first responder statements and verified visual and audio materials that collectively establish the widespread use of sexual violence as a weapon.

The report also introduces a comprehensive legal framework designed to hold all perpetrators, including commanders and political leaders who orchestrated these attacks, collectively accountable under international law. Its findings not only lay the foundation for prosecutions but also affirm the lived experiences of survivors, helping to counter denial and disinformation with rigorous, verifiable proof.

Shortly after its publication, however, the report became the target of a coordinated disinformation campaign to discredit its evidence and silence survivors yet again. Social media was flooded with hostile posts branding the findings as “scam” and “rehashed lies meant to portray Israel as a victim.” Some even shamelessly justified the sexual violence committed by Hamas, claiming that “they have the right to defend their land.”

Yet the silence and disinformation have not gone entirely unchallenged.

I Believe Israeli Women, a joint initiative of JWI and Seed the Dream Foundation, has organized a global movement to fight the denial and disinformation about the sexual violence of October 7. Hadassah, with its long legacy of standing up for all survivors of sexual violence, has also been a steadfast voice. Through its End the Silence campaign and other efforts, Hadassah has informed its followers about the truth and raised the matter at the United Nations and the White House.

Sexual violence in war is a growing crisis worldwide, and efforts to deny it are longstanding. But the online battlefield is a new and particularly powerful front that requires innovative responses. We must fight this form of assault with the urgency and determination it demands, because survivors deserve nothing less.

Combating this second assault requires a coordinated international effort that will bring together human rights groups, media, civil society and global institutions. Individuals and governments can play a role, too.

We must approach social media with a critical eye. We must share verified and analyzed information from organizations such as the Dinah Project, and we must amplify the direct testimony of survivors and witnesses wherever and whenever it appears. We must create campaigns to report disinformation and demand greater transparency and accountability from social media platforms, which must not only enforce their own policies by swiftly removing coordinated disinformation but also fundamentally reform their systems and algorithms.

By staying informed, raising our voices and demanding real accountability, we can break this relentless cycle of denial. We can ensure that truth is heard, justice is served and survivors are never silenced again.

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Meryl Frank is a former United States ambassador to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. She is president and CEO of Makeda Global, leading efforts to advance global gender equality and combat digital disinformation targeting survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.