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‘It Has to Be Told and Believed’: Former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg Discusses Documenting Hamas’ Oct. 7 Sexual Assault
Sheryl Sandberg at the 2022 Women’s Media Awards at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York, New York, on Nov. 17, 2022. Photo: Gabriele Holtermann-Gorden/Sipa via Reuters Connect
Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s former chief operating officer, recently discussed her commitment to sharing with the world through her recently released YouTube documentary the first-hand testimonies and stories of women who were sexually assaulted, raped, abducted, and murdered during the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel.
“It’s very hard to watch, but this is a story that has to be told and believed. It really is the most important work of my life,” Sandberg told People magazine in a recent interview. “No matter what flag you fly, no matter what you’re marching for, no matter what you believe, rape is not acceptable as a tool of war. Full stop.”
Sandberg, 54, flew to Israel in late January to film a YouTube documentary she titled “Screams Before Silence,” in which she speaks with witnesses and survivors of the Oct. 7 attacks who share their first-hand testimonies of sexual assault and rape. The almost hour-long documentary includes interviews with freed hostages, first responders, legal, medical, and forensic experts, and experts in the field of sexual violence, one of whom explained why rape is such an effective tool in war. The film was released in mid-April and has garnered over 1 million views on YouTube.
Former hostages have spoken publicly about the sexual abuse they experienced by Hamas terrorists, and there has been widespread evidence that sexual violence took place both during the Oct. 7 Hamas assault and afterwards against hostages. The United Nations said there is “clear and convincing information” and “reasonable grounds” to believe rape and other forms of sexual violence were committed by Hamas. Still, many deny that Hamas terrorists carried out sexual violence against their victims on Oct. 7, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
“This documentary is the story of how so many women and men — how many, we may never know — spent the last moments of their lives. People need to see the facts here,” Sandberg told People magazine, in response to a question about those who deny the sexual violence discussed in her film. “People need to be honest about what happened on Oct 7. And if it doesn’t fit into your narrative, then rethink your narrative,” she added. “We need to remain united no matter what else you think. We’ve got to be united against sexual assault.”
When asked why she felt compelled to make “Screams Before Silence,” Sandberg replied, “I had to do this.”
“I wish this work wasn’t necessary, but I really feel like everything I’ve done in my life has led me to this moment where I could help bear witness,” she explained. “I’ve obviously been a businessperson and I’ve been a very outspoken feminist for a very long time. But I didn’t think in my lifetime, especially after #MeToo, that I would see such a lack of outrage at best or denial at worst of the sexual violence that occurred on Oct. 7. I can’t let that happen.”
She also told People the sexual violence that occurred on Oct. 7 needs to be considered a global issue.
“Rape goes to the heart of who we are,” she said. “What’s interesting is that Hamas seems very proud of what they’ve done [in attacking Israel], reminding everyone that they’re going to keep coming back again and again. Yet they deny the rapes. In a world where they’re saying, ‘Yay, we killed Jews,’ they are denying that the rapes happened. This can’t just be a women’s issue. It’s got to be an issue for all of us.”
The post ‘It Has to Be Told and Believed’: Former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg Discusses Documenting Hamas’ Oct. 7 Sexual Assault first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.