Male rape survivor speaks about horrifying ordeal as Hamas attacked Supernova festival

On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants launched an attack on Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking several hostages. Allegations of sexual crimes have also been made by Israel. Several investigations have also said that people were raped and abused by the militants. Now one of the male victims has spoken about the horrors he endured at the music festival that was one of the sites attacked by Hamas.

As per local Channel 12, the victim, identified as "D", recounted the sexual assault committed by the militants on him and others at the Supernova music festival. He talked about how the Nukhba unit massacred, kidnapped and raped innocent people who were just moments ago enjoying themselves. The victim's face wasn't shown and his voice was distorted to keep his identity safe.

D said that he was pinned to the ground, and as he tried to resist, they took his clothes off. "They take off your clothes, laugh at you, humiliate you, spit at you,” he said.

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He recalled the militants "laughing and celebrating" as people around them were dying. They were also "wildly intoxicated" and celebrating "with their pistols, with their knives.”

“There is a circle, [people] laugh, and you don’t know what to do in the moment, whether you should resist or let it pass, how to deal with the situation,” he said.

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The assault only stopped when other members of their team told them to move on with the terrorist attack.

Nearly 360 people lost their lives at the Supernova music festival, with many more taken hostage. D says he was rescued by the Israel Defense Forces.

He says the incident has left him "obsessed with cleanliness". “[I take] a lot, a lot of showers, to get all that energy off me, everything that happened,” he said.

Lawsuit against the state

D is one of over 100 survivors who have filed a lawsuit against the state. His testimony of the sexual assault is part of the suit under which those who were at the festival and survived are demanding more than $137 million in government support. They argue that the incident has left them unable to continue with their normal lives. The Israeli police have also been collecting statements of survivors to document the scope of sexual assaults committed by Hamas.

A United Nations report completed earlier this year also found that “there are reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence occurred during the 7 October attacks in multiple locations across the Gaza periphery, including rape and gang rape, in at least three locations." It also states that the hostages also endured sexual abuse.

(With inputs from agencies)