Survivor Ilana Gritzewsky Tells UN She Is Living Proof of Sexual Violence

Ilana Gritzewsky, a survivor of Hamas captivity, addressed the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council at the Palace of Nations in Geneva about the sexual violence inflicted on victims of the October 7 massacre and on hostages.

Gritzewsky said speaking publicly was painful and emotionally difficult. "I am very nervous, every time I speak the wounds open in front of people," she said, adding that October 7 is something "the world needs to understand and not forget." She said she felt obligated to speak for those who can no longer speak for themselves, so people would understand what Israel's soldiers are fighting for day and night.

In remarks to the UN special rapporteur on human rights, she challenged the report on violence against women for not mentioning Hamas. "I am a woman who survived. Do you believe me now?" she asked, saying that the lack of evidence was contradicted by her own lived testimony.