The UK gave £90,000 to an Israeli report seeking to prove that sexual violence by Hamas on 7 October was “systematic”, a weakly evidenced claim Israel made central to justifying its genocide in Gaza, Novara Media can reveal.

In September 2024, Israeli government-aligned research group The Dinah Project applied to the Labour-run Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) for funding for a report seeking to establish the “systematic and premeditated nature” of Hamas’ sexual violence during and after the 7 October attack.

Following a seven-month battle with the FCDO, Novara Media has been partially granted its freedom of information (FOI) request, indicating that the department, then overseen by David Lammy, granted The Dinah Project £90,000, 75% of its budget for the four-month project. An Israeli official went on to describe the report as “a significant public diplomacy tool for us”.