Max Blumenthal explains the debunking and demise of Israel's 'Hamas mass-rape' claims used to manufacture consent for its genocidal assault against Gaza.
The UN has now found that it is Israel that is using rape and sexual violence against Palestinians.
(3 Min)
32 min - full video
The lies "Hamas & The beheaded babies & babies put into the oven"
On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Max Blumenthal, Editor in Chief of The Grayzone.
He discusses the Washington Post's latest hit piece against The Grayzone in an attempt to get its employees investigated by the federal government or arrested for exposing Israel's propaganda to justify its genocide in Gaza
The lies and fabrications in the Washington Post article trying to tie The Grayzone to being affiliated with the Russian and Iranian government, why he believes the motive for the latest attack on The Grayzone is for exposing Israel's lies and propaganda surrounding the events of October 7th, the targeting of Editor Wyatt Reed and attempt to tie him to Iran
Why the Washington Post is nothing but a laundromat for Israeli and US intelligence agencies in its reporting, the exposed October 7th propaganda concerning 'Hamas mass rape' and other pieces of atrocity propaganda.
Israel's own atrocities including torture, sexual assault against Palestinians and violations of the Geneva convention, and much more"
Reality Check: Israel Military performing rapes and sexual assults in prisons
Sami al-Sai, a 46-year-old freelance Palestinian journalist, told Kristoff that during his detention, he was raped by guards, first using a rubber baton, and later with a carrot.
"They were trying to force [the baton] into my rectum, and I was bracing myself to prevent it, but I couldn't," he said. "It was so painful." He noted that the guards were laughing at him. "Then I heard someone say, 'Give me the carrots,'" he recalled.
Kristoff's reporting was based on conversations with 14 male and female victims, as well as family members, investigators, officials, and others.
He reported that in many cases, Palestinians fear speaking about their rape due to threats from Israel's internal security service, Shin Bet.
One Palestinian farmer who had been raped three separate times in a day by guards using a metal baton at first agreed to allow Kristoff to use his name in the article, but later changed his decision.
"He had just been visited by Shin Bet and warned not to cause trouble, and he also feared that his family would react badly to the attention," Kristoff wrote.
The journalist noted that Israel had detained some 20,000 people in the occupied West Bank alone since October 2023, while more than 9,000 Palestinians are still being held in Israeli prisons and detention centers.
An Israeli lawyer, Ben Marmarelli, told Kristoff that based on the testimony of Palestinian detainees he has represented, rape of Palestinian prisoners with objects "is going on across the board."
Kristoff notes that in another case in 2024, nine reservist soldiers were arrested after gang raping a Palestinian detainee. The incident gained wide attention after a CCTV video showing the rape was leaked to the media.
But a mob of angry protesters, including politicians, broke into the prison to show support for the guards, arguing that Hamas members deserved to be raped. The charges against the soldiers were eventually dropped, and the military approved the soldiers' return to duty.
Kristoff also cited a report from B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization, which documented "a grave pattern of sexual violence" toward Palestinians. The human rights organization said that torture "has become an accepted norm."
Despite the extensive evidence cited by Kristoff, NYT only allowed his report to be published as an opinion piece.
In contrast, the newspaper published a report in December 2023 claiming that Hamas had committed mass rape against Israelis during its attacks on military bases and settlements on 7 October 2023, even though no evidence for such allegations was found.
11 May 2026
Sexual Torture of Palestinians in Israeli prisons
New York Times' article details horrific systematic rape of Palestinian prisoners. The report cites UN findings describing sexual violence as part of Israel's "standard operating procedures," alongside rights group evidence it is being used systematically.
