The lawyer at the center of the ‘Hamas rape’ allegations has been exposed as a fraud, as per reports from Yedioth Ahronoth on March 24. Israeli ministry employees have distanced themselves from Cochav Elkayam-Levy, accusing her of disseminating false information and attempting to profit from baseless claims regarding Hamas’s involvement in mass rapes on October 7.
According to Israeli officials quoted in the newspaper, Elkayam-Levy, who leads the Deborah Institute and teaches at the Hebrew University’s Department of International Relations, conducted flawed research, propagated fabricated narratives about Hamas atrocities, and sought substantial financial support for a purported ‘civic commission,’ of which she was the sole member.
Elkayam-Levy gained early notoriety for promoting unfounded allegations of systematic rape by Hamas during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. As reported by The Grayzone, she misrepresented images of female Kurdish fighters slain in Syria as Israeli women allegedly raped and killed by Hamas militants at the Nova Music Festival.
The Grayzone also highlighted Elkayam-Levy’s increased visibility following her interviews with CNN’s Jake Tapper and her meetings with White House officials, including members of the National Security Council and Jennifer Klein, Director of the Gender Policy Council.
An unnamed government official cited by Yedioth Ahronoth explained that Elkayam-Levy’s discrediting stemmed from her flawed methodology and dissemination of inaccurate information, undermining the credibility of her research. Moreover, she propagated debunked stories, such as the purported incident involving a pregnant woman whose stomach was cut open.
Elkayam-Levy’s attempt to establish a ‘civilian commission’ to investigate alleged Hamas atrocities also drew criticism. Despite its official-sounding name, the commission consisted solely of Elkayam-Levy herself. She solicited substantial donations, claiming an $8 million budget was required, including $1.5 million for administrative expenses.
The report from Yedioth Ahronoth comes shortly after Elkayam-Levy received the Israel Prize for her purported efforts to raise awareness about the alleged Hamas atrocities on October 7.
The Israeli government has been accused of utilizing ostensibly neutral entities, such as volunteer rescue services like ZAKA and United Hatzalah, to propagate propaganda regarding the events of October 7. These groups have been accused of fabricating sensationalized accounts of Hamas crimes to justify Israeli actions in Gaza.
