Israel’s LGBTQ+ community is facing an increasingly hostile climate marked by rising violence, organised attacks and widespread online abuse, according to a new report released by The Aguda - The Association for LGBTQ+ Equality in Israel.
The annual study, compiled by the Nir Katz Centre for Violence, Discrimination and Homophobia Reporting, warns that members of the community are experiencing a growing sense of insecurity, with campaigners pointing to a surge in physical assaults and intimidation over the past year.
Particular concern has centred on a series of premeditated attacks allegedly carried out through dating applications. Researchers said offenders created fake profiles on LGBTQ+ platforms to lure victims into meetings before ambushing them in groups, often with weapons.
More than 20 serious incidents linked to dating apps were recorded between late 2024 and the end of 2025, according to the report. Many victims required hospital treatment after being beaten in what campaigners described as hate-fuelled assaults targeting gay men.
The report documented 322 direct complaints of homophobic incidents during 2025, alongside a further 110 legal enquiries. It also highlighted a sharp rise in abuse online, including thousands of hostile comments and more than 1,300 pieces of homophobic content identified across social media.
Violence in public places has become increasingly common, researchers found. Around half of all incidents reported in public spaces involved physical attacks, a substantial increase on the previous year.
There was also a notable rise in cases involving threats, blackmail and intimidation, suggesting what the report described as a broader escalation in anti-LGBTQ+ hostility.
Transgender people were disproportionately affected, accounting for more than half of all reports received by the centre this year.
Alongside the annual figures, a separate nationwide survey conducted by the Israeli Institute for Gender and LGBTQ Studies found homophobia remains deeply embedded across many areas of daily life in Israel.
More than nine in 10 respondents said they had experienced homophobia to some extent, while large numbers reported abuse in schools, public spaces, on social media and in dealings with state institutions.
Nearly half of participants said they regularly encountered severe or persistent forms of homophobia - a significant increase compared with previous research.
Campaigners also warned that growing numbers of LGBTQ+ people are reluctant to report incidents to police, amid fears they will not be taken seriously or adequately protected.
Nimrod Gorenstein, chairman of The Aguda - The Association for LGBTQ+ Equality in Israel, said the findings reflected a wider deterioration in public discourse and personal safety.
He said the experiences documented in the report showed many LGBTQ+ Israelis were being subjected to discrimination, harassment and violence simply because of their identity, adding that the organisation remained committed to challenging what it described as the “dehumanisation” of the community.
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