An American comedian and a pro-Israel influencer have caused outrage after mocking the sexual abuse of Palestinians by Israeli forces at a US film festival.
The Tribeca Film Festival condemned the remarks made by Elon Gold and Lizzy Savetsky, who were attending the premiere of a new Israeli film.
"I was only raped by two Israeli dogs," Gold told Savetsky during an interview on the red carpet on Thursday.
"I thought they only rape Palestinians," she replied, to which Gold said "No I got also a dog".
Gold, an outspoken advocate for Israel, was referring to a recent article in the New York Times that featured Palestinian testimonies about the use of dogs to commit sexual abuse in Israeli prisons.
The article contained over a dozen testimonies from Palestinians, including children and well-known activist Issa Amro. The article prompted anger in Israel, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it "blood libel," and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar threatening legal action against the publication. Rights groups have documented the widespread use of sexual violence against Palestinians in Israeli prisons. Dozens of detainees have provided testimonies about a range of sexual abuses, including rape, torture, forced stripping, and other forms of degrading treatment.
The comments from the actor and influencer triggered outrage on social media.
"How vile. Red carpet r@pe jokes @Tribeca," journalist Samira Mohyeddin wrote on X.
Palestinian writer Sana Saeed wrote: "Jesus Christ, these people are so vile - absolutely vile nasty ghouls."
In a statement on Saturday, the festival said it "unequivocally condemns the offensive and unacceptable remarks".
"Sexual violence and human suffering should never be mocked or minimised. The comments do not reflect the Tribeca Festival's values, and we regret the hurt and offense they have caused," it said.
Savetsky is a prominent pro-Israel activist who has expressed support for the Israeli far-right.
In 2025, she posted a video praising Israeli extremist Meir Kahane, who advocated for the expulsion of Palestinians and non-Jews from Israel and the occupied territories.
In May, the UN added Israel to its blacklist of countries that commit sexual violence amid mounting evidence of the systematic abuse of Palestinians from Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
A report by the UN secretary-general's office said the UN had over the past year confirmed at least 31 cases of sexual violence committed between 2023 and 2025.
One case includes the notorious incident at the Sde Teiman detention facility in July 2024, when leaked CCTV footage showed five Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee. The Israeli military later dropped all charges against the guards.
Evidence has recently emerged that Israeli forces are also using sexual violence to intimidate Palestinians in the West Bank . A report by the Norwegian Refugee Council in April documented multiple cases of Israeli settler and soldiers committing sexualised abuse as a method of driving Palestinians from their land.
Prosecutors in several European countries have opened investigations into alleged sexual abuse committed against Gaza flotilla activists in May.
The Global Sumud Flotilla said that Israeli forces had committed at least 15 cases of sexual assault against the activists, who were abducted in international waters last month.