Sheryl Sandberg talks about documentary about the rapes by Hamas on October 7

On October 7, Sheryl Sandberg was awakened by an alarm message on her phone that shocked her.

“I was in a WhatsApp thread with my childhood friends on the East Coast and I woke up to a pop-up saying ‘Israel is at war,'” recalls the 54-year-old former Facebook COO. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”

In the hours that followed, the reports of massacres and mass deaths proved even more shocking when Sandberg learned that Hamas terrorists had launched a surprise attack. The group killed 1,200 people, took over 200 hostage, and sparked a war with Israel that has since left tens of thousands more dead, most of them in Gaza territory.

The brutality of the Hamas attack – and especially the stories of sexual assault – ignited a fire in Sandberg that made her realize she had to do something.

“No matter what flag you fly, no matter what you march for, no matter what you believe in, rape is not acceptable as a tool of war,” she tells PEOPLE. “Period.”

At the end of January, she flew to Israel and spent several days with a film crew to obtain first-hand accounts from survivors, freed hostages and first responders, as well as legal, medical and forensic experts.

The result is the vivid, nerve-wracking one-hour YouTube documentary Screams before the silence.

“It’s very hard to watch, but this story needs to be told and believed,” says Sandberg. “It’s really the most important work of my life.”

While Hamas denies that its fighters committed sexual violence during their invasion and some individual statements have been discredited, the UN said there were “sufficient grounds” to believe that rape and gang rape had occurred and that there was “clear and convincing information” that hostages had also been mistreated.

Sandberg spoke to PEOPLE about her documentary and her mission to give a voice to the women who were attacked, taken hostage and murdered during the October 7 attack.

Why make this documentary?

I had to do this. I wish this work wasn’t necessary, but I really feel like everything I’ve done in my life has led me to this moment where I could help bear witness. I’ve been a businesswoman, of course, and a very outspoken feminist for a very long time. But I didn’t think that in my life, especially after #MeToo, I would see so little outrage at best or denial at worst about the sexual violence of October 7. I can’t let that happen.

Are you surprised by the response to the documentary?

We are overwhelmed by what happened. The film and the trailer have been viewed millions of times. It really exceeds everything I expected because I think there are people who want to see the truth.

What do you say to people who deny that the sexual assaults described in your documentary actually happened?

There are people who say they’re not sure (this happened), who ask, “Where are all the victims and why aren’t they saying anything?” The reason is because almost all of them were killed. This documentary tells the story of how so many women and men – how many we may never know – lived the last moments of their lives. People need to see the facts here. And if they don’t fit their narrative, then they need to rethink that narrative.

Tell me what you have learned about the role of mass rape and sexual violence in war?

One of the sexual violence experts I spoke to said some chilling things about why rape is such a powerful tool of war. First, it destroys communities. Even if victims live, they are survivors. Sometimes they carry the babies of the terrorists who raped them. Think about how that changes their lives and their relationships with their husbands? They are ostracized by society. It destroys communities. He described rape as an incredibly effective tool of war: It’s free. It’s not a missile and you don’t have to pay for it.

You have kept in touch with some of these victims of sexual violence. Do you think they will ever be able to get over what they have suffered?

People who know have told me they are very afraid that some of the hostages are pregnant. One of the released hostages, who lost her husband and daughter, told me that she has good days and bad days, but she can’t think of anything but the people who are still there, tied to beds and being sexually abused. It’s just horrible. She’s trying to heal. The whole nation is trying to heal.

How do you react to the events since October 7?

October 7 is shocking, of course, but equally shocking is what has happened since then, these college protests where students are shouting, “We are Hamas.” Really? I want a two-state solution where people can live in peace, but (the protesters saying), “We are Hamas,” or that the rapes didn’t happen, is what’s really shocking. (Some of the protest organizers have condemned the anti-Semitic rhetoric.)

What do you want people to take away from this documentary?

People need to be honest about what happened on October 7th. And if it doesn’t fit your narrative, then rethink your narrative. We need to stay united no matter what you think otherwise. We need to be united against sexual assault. I think that’s really important.

You have thought intensively about sexual violence in recent months. What have you learned?

Rape touches us deep inside. What’s interesting is that Hamas seems to be very proud of what they did (attacking Israel) and reminds everyone that they will always come back. And yet they deny the rapes. In a world where they say, “Yay, we killed Jews,” they deny that the rapes happened. This cannot just be a women’s problem. It has to be a problem for all of us.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.