Can dogs penetrate humans? NYT op-ed on rape of Palestinians by IDF sparks outrage

In the op-ed, Kristof says that he visited the “West Bank to talk with Palestinians” who experienced “sexual assault firsthand” by Israeli soldiers, settlers, and prison guards. He claims that the “harrowing accounts”, backed by lawyers, surveys, and international reports, suggest that sexual violence by “Israelis against Palestinians is widespread”.

One Palestinian journalist told Kristof that he had been “held down” and “raped by a dog”. The NYT opinion by Nicholas Kristof had more witnesses who backed this claim of dogs being used to rape prisoners.

“With encouragement from a handler in Hebrew (an Israeli prison), the Gaza-based journalist said, the dog mounted him. They (IDF soldiers) were using cameras to take photos, and he heard their laughs and giggles. He tried to dislodge the dog, but it penetrated him,” Kristof wrote in his NYT opinion piece.

Kristof also claimed that he spoke to some more detainees who have also testified to having gone through the same experience.

DOGS CANNOT BE USED TO PENETRATE, ARGUE SOME EXPERTS

After the op-ed was published by the NYT, a massive debate started on whether dogs can penetrate humans. People claimed online that they began researching whether this is actually possible.

“It’s impossible to train dogs for this; this is absurd propaganda,” posted Emily Schrader, an Israeli journalist, reacting to Kristof’s article in the NYT.

“Dogs cannot anatomically rape humans. As a physician, I thought I would just point that out. Why are antisemites such idiots?” a US-based physician, Dr Sheila Nazarian, wrote on X.

“Meanwhile, the ‘Jewish rape dogs’ hoax has been refuted not because it’s a slur against Jews, but because the American Kennel Club attests it’s an impossibility for dogs,” wrote David Frum, a writer for The Atlantic and host of The David Frum Show.

Frum’s post on X was, however, contested by a community note.

Eli Lake, writing for The Free Press, said Kristof’s dog rape story “doesn’t pass muster”. Lake quotes inputs from Brandon McMillan, a three-time Emmy-winning host of CBS’s Lucky Dog, who has decades in training animals, for argument.

“The story of trained rape dogs does not hold up. Let’s start with what is known about the biology of male dogs. Their penises are small and thin. They become erect only when they smell the pheromones of a female dog in heat,” wrote Lake. “Brandon McMillan told me he had never heard of a dog who was trained to rape a human being and doubted this was possible.”

CAN DOGS PENETRATE HUMANS? WHAT SCIENCE SAYS

Medical and forensic reports suggest that sexual penetration of humans by dogs is anatomically possible, and scientific experts describe it as extremely dangerous, abusive, and potentially life-threatening.

Several peer-reviewed case reports published in medical journals have documented severe anal and rectal injuries linked to dog-human sexual contact, including tearing, internal bleeding, infections, and cases where the animal’s genital “locking” mechanism caused additional trauma.

Veterinary forensic studies have also discussed evidence collection in cases involving alleged dog penetration of humans.

According to reports published in SAGE Journals, male dogs possess a penile structure known as the bulbus glandis, which swells after penetration and can temporarily “lock” during intercourse, a biological mechanism common in canine mating that can also increase the risk of injury in humans.

Medical experts warn that such acts can cause perforation, hemorrhage, infections, and transmission of zoonotic diseases. Researchers and veterinary experts also say that animals cannot consent, making such acts a form of animal abuse and bestiality.

“I draw the line at arguing over mechanics of dog rape,” wrote Megan K Stack, who also contributes to the New York Times’s Opinion section, on X.

“I share @megankstack’s exasperation, but to those who say that canine rape is impossible, despite the many Palestinians who have described it, I’d note that at least three different medical journal articles discuss rectal injuries in humans from anal penetration by dogs. Sigh,” wrote Kristof on X, sharing Stack’s post.

THE RECURRING ALLEGATIONS OF ISRAELI PRISON VIOLENCE

There is no evidence available that the Israeli leadership ordered rape inside prisons. But there have been allegations that the political leadership of the country has built a security apparatus where sexual violence is a major ill-treatment of Palestinians, the NYT opinion said.

Several news reports earlier alleged that Israel treats its Palestinian prisoners “very harshly”.

“The prison guards, three of them, took me into a bathroom and stripped me completely naked before forcing me to the ground. I was hoping to die and be done with that, as the pain was not only caused by the rape, but also from the severe and painful beating,” Ahmed, a Palestinian detainee in an Israeli prison, told the BBC in 2024. “The assault lasted 15 to 20 minutes, during which guards also squeezed my genitals,” Ahmed added.

B’Tselem, The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, has also cited some Palestinian detainees who recounted the horror in Israeli prisons.

“During the torture, one of the soldiers raped me,” Tamer Qarmut, a former detainee in the Israeli prison, was quoted by B’Tselem. Qarmut said the soldier used a stick to penetrate him even as he was screaming, and then shoved it into his mouth.

Ibrahim Fuda, another prisoner, said, “I’m still suffering from severe trauma. They held me naked, and soldiers set dogs on me that attacked me.” Fuda described to B’Tselem how his private parts were attacked as part of torture.

One prisoner whose name was disclosed told B’Tselem that he saw prisoners who were sexually assaulted. Some were attacked by dogs in sensitive areas, and after that, had urgent surgery carried out. Some prisoners bled from the rectum and urethra.

DOG RAPE A MODERN DAY “BLOOD LIBEL”, SAYS NIKKI HALEY

After the NYT article alleged that the IDF personnel used dogs to rape Palestinian prisoners, the former Governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, labelled the “dog rape” allegations as “modern-day blood libel”.

Blood libel is a centuries-old antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely accused Jewish people of killing non-Jews for their blood to be used in Jewish rituals. It has no factual basis.

“Claiming Israel trains dogs to rape Palestinians is modern-day blood libel, propaganda pushed as more horrific details emerge about Hamas’ systematic torture on Oct. 7,” Haley posted on X on Thursday.

“For being Jewish, Hamas raped a woman and burnt half of her face off in front of her husband; shoved nails, metal, and sharp objects into Israeli women; forced family members to sexually assault each other so that if they survived, they would be traumatized by the sight of each other; raped corpses; the list goes on. Distracting from these atrocities and smearing Israel while victims still fight for acknowledgment is sickening,” she added.

American journalist Mehdi Hasan claimed that there is no denying the torture that goes on against Palestinian prisoners in Israel. “As much as people might want to dispute or challenge the claims of dog rape, there’s simply no denying the torture that goes on against Palestinians inside Israeli prisons,” Hasan posted on X Thursday.

“It’s been documented by the UN and every major human rights group, including Israeli human rights groups,” Hasan added.

There are also videos on social media of Israeli comedians and TV panelists talking about “dog rape” or rape of Palestinian men in general in a mocking way. These videos predate the NYT article.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/israel-news-dog-rape-palestinian-prisoners-in-idf-news-hamas-war-gaza-nicholas-kristof-nyt-opinion-2912177-2026-05-15