The right to be forgotten: A crucial step in healing from October 7

Recognizing the right to be forgotten is a crucial step toward helping victims of October 7 and their families to recover.

The Hamas atrocities of October 7, 2023, mark a turning point in Israeli history. The scale of violence that Hamas inflicted upon Israeli civilians resulted in the death of approximately 1,200 people, the kidnapping of 251 into Gaza, and unprecedented destruction across communities. It shook not only Israeli society but the world at large. Now, almost two years later, a report published by the Dinah Project last week revealed one of the darkest aspects of that day: the use of sexual violence by Hamas as a weapon of terror.

Survivors of the Nova music festival and of the carnage at kibbutzim and other sites, as well as returned hostages – both women and men – have come forward with gruesome testimonies of rape, sexual assault, and mutilation.

These crimes were not random acts of cruelty; they appear to have been deployed systematically, as tactical tools of war, which constitute international crimes. Victims found themselves in unimaginable circumstances for several hours, which has since crystallized into a collective national trauma for Israelis and Jews around the world.

Victims are pressured to share their experiences

Since the eruption of the Israel-Hamas War, Israeli society has rallied around the victims and the returned hostages. This embrace, though born out of solidarity and compassion, can become suffocating. In a country grappling with collective trauma, there is growing pressure on victims to share their most personal experiences for advocacy, public awareness, and mobilization of the government.

The exposure is well-intentioned, but it can be deeply invasive. We live in an age where nothing remains hidden. Graphic footage circulates on social media, and deeply personal stories are being echoed time and again. Although this is being done in the name of national unity or advocacy, it also leads to the erosion of the boundaries between public and private.

This is a painful reminder that while war may be a public and national affair, its costs are often deeply personal: physical, emotional, and financial harm, alongside violations of privacy, personal dignity, and individual autonomy. As such, this moment calls for more than solidarity. It demands legal and moral clarity.

Allowing victims the right to be forgotten

One of the most urgent needs is recognizing the right to be forgotten in Israel; namely, the ability of survivors to request the deletion or correction of their personal data and stories from the digital world. This right can provide a vital tool to protect the privacy and dignity of those victims who endured unthinkable horrors and lived to tell their story.

The right to be forgotten, originally recognized in the European Union, and later adopted in jurisdictions around the world, allows individuals to reclaim some control over how their lives are represented online. Although some early recognition of this right has emerged within Israeli courts in limited cases, it has yet to be formally enshrined in Israeli law.

For victims of the October 7 atrocities, this is more than a legal issue. Rather, it is a therapeutic tool that can pave the way for survivors to regain agency and begin the difficult task of recovery.

The trauma of October 7 is often compared to that of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. But unlike then, we now live in a hyper-documented and visible reality. This reality demands new frameworks and tools that will safeguard basic rights for the most vulnerable people in our society.

Recognizing the right to be forgotten is a crucial step toward helping victims and their families to recover from the profound harm they have suffered, and to begin the long road toward rehabilitation and a return to everyday life.

The right to be forgotten would not erase history, but it will nevertheless give victims the ability to shape their personal history in a way that will allow them to regain their dignity and sense of autonomy. In the wake of that unimaginable horror we have been exposed to, this is not just appropriate – it is a necessity.

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