Ilana Gritzewsky, an Israeli woman who was held hostage by Hamas, directly confronted Reem Alsalem, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, at the UN Human Rights Council's 62nd session on Tuesday. Gritzewsky accused Alsalem of denying evidence of sexual violence by Hamas during the October 7 attacks.
"Ms. Alsalem, you say there was no evidence of sexual violence on October 7," Gritzewsky stated, addressing the rapporteur. "I am standing here today, not as a report, not as a statistic. I am a woman who survived. I am the living proof of sexual violence by Hamas."
Gritzewsky recounted her experience during the Hamas attack on her kibbutz, describing being touched and sexually abused by at least seven terrorists. She testified that she was "beaten and mutilated before blacking out" and woke up "half naked with seven terrorists standing over me."
"When I and other Israeli women begged not to be raped, why were you silent? Please look at me. Do you believe us now? Will you apologize?" Gritzewsky asked Alsalem. The rapporteur appeared visibly taken aback by the testimony.
Gritzewsky, who was released on November 30, 2023, as part of a weeklong ceasefire and prisoner exchange, detailed the lingering trauma of her captivity. "I went back with a broken hip, a broken jaw and a scarred soul," she said. "People see my face and think that I'm free but freedom is not a switch. Trauma doesn't vanish once you are released."
Alsalem's prior report on violence against women had not mentioned Hamas, which Gritzewsky questioned. Alsalem had stated in December that her report on sexual and gender-based violence concerning Israeli women was based on information from Israeli sources, including the army and media. She noted that some testimonies referenced in that report had been "disputed or deemed unverifiable," making it "impossible" for her to engage on specific reports of sexual violence related to the October 7 events. Alsalem has accused Israel of refusing to cooperate with her inquiries, while stating she received corroborating information regarding Palestinian women and girls.
The United Nations itself stated in 2024 that there were "reasonable grounds" to believe Hamas committed rape and other sexual violence on October 7. The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court has also stated he has reason to believe three Hamas leaders are responsible for rape and other sexual violence as crimes against humanity.
The Embassy of Israel to the U.S. reacted to Gritzewsky's remarks, stating on X that Hamas' sexual abuse of Israeli women had been "ignored by the UN and dismissed by the world." The embassy added, "Shame on the UN for enabling a culture of rape apologists."