From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 18, 2026
October 7 survivor Shaylee Atary says state was ‘negligent’ when she reported rape in 2011
Ariela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
October 7 survivor Shaylee Atary testifies at the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women and Gender Equality, saying the state gave an inadequate response to the violent sexual assault that she underwent in 2011.
“In April 2011, I was violently raped on the asphalt of a residential parking lot beneath my apartment in Tel Aviv,” says Atary during a committee session on support for survivors of sexual violence.
After she went to the police, providing evidence of her injuries, “the police were negligent, and the prosecution closed the case for lack of evidence,” she says.
“The court protected the perpetrator under a gag order. The investigation materials show serious negligence and a lack of willingness to get to the truth. My main witness, who found me unconscious, was never even questioned — the person who saw my injuries and heard me screaming at the rapist,” Atary continues.
Atary survived the Hamas-led massacre at her home on Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023. Her husband, Yahav Winner, was killed protecting Atary and their newborn baby, Shaya, enabling them to flee. They were rescued after hiding out for more than 24 hours.
Atary says that she and the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel are drafting a bill that will soon be brought before the Knesset to grant victims the right to be “kept informed of proceedings regarding a request for a gag order for a suspect in sexual offenses, and to express [their] position regarding the request.”
Atary notes that victims of sexual assault, as in other violent crimes, are not considered “a party to the proceedings” under Israeli law and are given limited rights during the judicial process.
The Times of Israel Community.