Israel’s supporters are expected to attend a rally outside the Times headquarters in central London tomorrow to protest against the media coverage of the sexual violence perpetrated on October 7.

The “She Could Be You” rally has been organised to coincide with the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict and follows the publication of a Times article, which seemed to call into question the evidence of rape and other sexual abuse which was carried out on October 7.

Orit Eyal-Fibeesh from 7/10 Human Chain, one of the rally organisers, said: "This article is part of a disturbing trend to deny the well-evidenced atrocities and horrors perpetrated against Israeli civilians, especially women and girls.”

Tomorrow’s protest was, she said, to “denounce the dismissive coverage of credible reports of rape and sexual assault committed against Israeli hostages by Hamas militants by mainstream media and social media, [which] continues to ignore, question or doubt the cause. We refuse to be silenced about these heinous acts of gender-based violence.”

In a joint statement after the article’s publication, interviewees Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, Orit Sulitzeanu and Dr Sarai Aharoni, who work with victims of sexual violence, said that they had been “shocked and disappointed” by it.

They added: “It is our duty to ensure that the full extent of what happened is acknowledged. The use of sexual violence as a weapon of war was a significant part of the October 7 attack.”

“Denying the evidence of such violence has become a disturbing aspect of the global pro-Palestinian discourse, adversely affecting the wellbeing of sexual violence survivors of the massacre, as well as survivors everywhere.”

Hostage survivors and others have provided testimonies detailing the rape, sexual assault, abuse and threats they endured at the hands of Hamas captors. Medical evaluations by groups like Physicians for Human Rights Israel have corroborated their accounts.

The UN special representative on sexual violence in conflict Pramila Patten issued a report in March stating it had "clear and convincing information that some [hostages] have been subjected to various forms of conflict-related sexual violence including rape and sexualised torture”.

Issuing a statement on the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, António Guterres, secretary-general of the UN, said: "Conflict-related sexual violence is a devastating form of attack and repression, which has lasting, harmful effects on survivors’ physical, sexual, reproductive, and mental health, and destroys the social fabric of communities.”

“Despite widespread awareness and condemnation, this grotesque crime continues around the world. The past year has seen harrowing reports of sexual violence from Sudan to Haiti and Israel. Far too often, the perpetrators walk free while survivors spend their entire lives in recovery.”

The UN had previously been criticised for initially failing to acknowledge the sexual violence which took place on October 7. 

The rally will take place at 12pm on June 19