“Screams Before Silence”: Sheryl Sandberg’s Documentary Exposes Sexual Violence Committed Against Israeli Women During Hamas Attack

Former Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has released a documentary titled ‘Screams Before Silence’, which sheds light on the atrocities committed by Hamas against Israeli women during an attack that claimed roughly 1,200 lives seven months ago. The film features firsthand accounts of survivors and emergency responders who witnessed sexual violence and mass murder in October last year. Sandberg said she took up this project because “the world needs to see and acknowledge what happened” after reports emerged about the widespread use of rape as a weapon by Hamas members during the attack. She argued that if people believe that terrorism is resistance, they cannot ignore sexual violence against women since it does not fit into their narrative. The documentary allows viewers to hear directly from those who were on the ground and witnessed “women naked, legs spread, bloodied, tied to trees”. Sandberg shared details of a conversation she had with Rami, whom she described as an ordinary citizen, who saved hundreds at the site where women were being sexually assaulted. The documentary is available for viewing on YouTube, and Sandberg urged people to watch it in order to understand “the depths of this terror” that continues even now, seven months after the attack took place. She also warned against the increasing polarization around college campuses across the US, where some self-proclaimed pro-Palestinian activists have denied sexual violence entirely and questioned its legitimacy. Sandberg argued that such denial undermines the nonpartisan issue of sexual assault committed by Hamas members during the attack on Israeli women in October last year. She urged people to bear witness to these stories so as not only to give a voice to those who were silenced but also understand “the depths of this terror” that continues even now, seven months after the attack took place. Sandberg’s documentary comes at a time when anti-Israel protests have escalated on several campuses in America; demonstrations often degenerate into acts of vandalism and verbal abuse directed towards Israeli students on these grounds. These incidents led Columbia University President Minouche Shafik to announce online learning for Monday, asking faculty and staff to work from home because they don’t feel safe around anti-Israel protesters who have taken over campuses in recent weeks. Sandberg warned that the disorder on campus stops honest conversations about hard issues since people do not feel safe enough to express their views openly; this undermines free speech, which she strongly supports as a means of promoting open dialogues regarding complex and contentious topics like terrorism or sexual assaults committed by Hamas members during attacks.