But Hasan said it didn’t matter if rapes happened on October 7.

The May 2024 clip comes from a debate with a viewer who was denying sexual violence or the likelihood that it happened. Hasan's point was that even if rapes occurred, they would not justify genocide or make Israel's assault on Gaza acceptable. In that argument, "it doesn't matter" referred to whether the reports changed his opposition to Israel's military response.

In a later clarification, he put it this way: "Whether rapes happened or not does not change the dynamic on October 7th. That genocide is still unacceptable." In the later full-context response, he says some sexual violence likely occurred.

The broader record matters too. B'Tselem collected testimony from 55 Palestinians released from Israeli prisons and detention facilities since October 7, including repeated accounts of sexual assault and a grave testimony describing an anal rape with a foreign object by several guards. The UN human-rights office also reported testimony and allegations of sexual and gender-based violence in multiple Israeli facilities. Palestinians held without charge or trial are captives/hostages, while the evidence notes use "detainee" and "prisoner" when that is the precise source language.

At Sde Teiman, Israeli Channel 12 aired surveillance footage that appeared to show guards sexually assaulting a Palestinian prisoner. The detainee was hospitalized with a perforated rectum, fractured ribs and lung damage; nine soldiers were detained, and five were later indicted. Israeli officials and lawmakers defended the accused: National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called them "our best heroes," Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said they should be treated as heroes rather than criminals, and Likud lawmaker Hanoch Milwidsky said of a Nukhba detainee, "everything is legitimate to do." In March 2026, Israel's military advocate general withdrew the indictment against the five soldiers, citing evidentiary and procedural problems after the detainee had been returned to Gaza. That ended the criminal case; it did not establish that the alleged assault or the broader testimony was fabricated. A separate reservist was convicted in February 2025 after admitting to severe abuse of Palestinian detainees at Sde Teiman.