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Hamas captivity survivor Ilana Gritzewsky shared on Wednesday details from her time in Gaza and the abuse she endured there, including sexual harassment.
"They detonated a grenade near my ear, causing me to lose hearing in my left ear. And as if that wasn’t enough, I endured sexual harassment," she told the crowd about the journey to Gaza in a speech at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. "They touched me the entire way to Gaza. At that moment, I physically and mentally collapsed. I could endure humiliation, but not the harassment."
Gritzewsky was kidnapped during the October 7 Hamas-led attack from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with her partner, Matan Zangauker, who remains in captivity. The last sign of life from him came in a Hamas propaganda video released in December.
Speaking at the gathering, Gritzewsky recounted her life on the kibbutz before the massacre and the sense of security she felt living in the Gaza border region—until the horrific surprise attack by Hamas. "I always trusted my army, the one I served in. I never imagined something like this could happen, that someone would abduct me. I fled Mexico to avoid being kidnapped—and in the end, I was kidnapped here."
Gritzewsky shared the terrifying experience of the morning of October 7. She and Zangauker barricaded themselves in the safe room of their home, with him holding the door handle as she tried to keep their dog quiet. "The terrorists went house to house, like Russian roulette," she said. "You sit there waiting for your turn, wondering when they will reach you." After three hours of holding out hope that the terrorists would bypass their home, they arrived.
"They came with rifles, shooting in all directions. Bullets pierced the safe room door, leaving us with no choice but to escape through the window," she recounted. "They dragged me, loaded me onto a motorcycle, covered my head with plastic and pressed my leg against the exhaust pipe. They grabbed me by the hair, kneed me in the stomach, knocking the air out of me. They dragged me on the ground, threw me against a wall and wanted to film me on my phone."
Once in Gaza, she was held in a destroyed house guarded by seven Hamas terrorists. "I begged them not to rape me. I sat there alone with Hamas men who told me I was beautiful, that I was going to marry them, and that I would never leave," she said. Later, they moved her to another house and warned her that the building she was in would soon be bombed.
"We slept on the floor with insects, without food, water or showers, wearing the same clothes. The Hamas men watched me 24/7, and I couldn’t even go to the bathroom without their permission. I vomited, had diarrhea and fainted. I lost 24 lbs. in 55 days. Today, I suffer from colitis," she shared.
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Gritzewsky also spoke of the psychological and physical torture she endured during her captivity. "I went through interrogations in the middle of the night and suffered psychological abuse. Several times, they told me I was going to be released. On one occasion, they took me to a hospital where I saw other hostages. They locked us in a small room, and we had to beg to leave for the bathroom or to ask for food when we were hungry."
Later, she was transferred to a tunnel, where she discovered her partner Matan was alive. "No matter how much I begged, they wouldn’t let me see him. They turned me into a puppet. When they came to tell me I was being released, I refused because I knew my soul would remain there with Matan."
Since her release in November 2023, as part of the first hostage exchange deal, Gritzewsky has been actively advocating for the return of the remaining hostages. "We are not giving up. They cannot take away our hope, our spirit or our faith. That’s what gives us the strength to continue," she emphasized. "I will not give up on the promise I made to my friends in the tunnel—that I will be their voice until they are brought home. They too deserve freedom, and they too deserve to celebrate the holiday."
She also shared that her mother immigrated to Israel last year. "I lost so many friends in this war, and if there hadn’t been hostages or October 7, I would have been called up for reserve duty. I will always defend my country," she said. Addressing the crowd at Hostages' Square, she added, "Continue to stand with us. Don’t abandon us for a moment. I refuse to accept this reality in our country. Hamas didn’t break me, and no one will break me until I bring my partner and the 59 hostages back home."
Concluding her remarks, she addressed her partner directly: "If Matan hears me, I know he is strong. If he’s watching me, then he also sees all the people here. I want him not to lose hope or faith, to see how many people are here, to see that the nation is with him. He has a lioness of a mother who won’t stop until he’s back home. This is also a message to every hostage who might be watching us now: the entire nation is here! Everyone is just waiting for you!"