[Women in Captivity: A Gendered Perspective on the Experience of Captivity]

Historically, the number of women taken captive during wars has been significantly lower than that of men, primarily because women have rarely participated actively in combat. In the two major instances in which Israeli women were taken captive-during the War of Independence and in the war of October 7, 2023 - most of the female captives were civilians. The aim of this article is to examine the unique experience of captivity among women through a review of past cases of female prisoners of war, both globally and in Israel. The female experience of captivity highlights the heightened risk of sexual violence and rape, as well as women's ability to preserve solidarity and human connection even in contexts of dehumanization and oppression.