\nGritzewsky spoke about her childhood in Mexico, in a deeply rooted Jewish home, her studies in human rights, and her involvement in international organizations such as the UN, UNICEF, and the Red Cross. “But when I needed them most \u2013 they weren\u2019t there,” she accused. At age 16, she immigrated alone to Israel. “I wanted to feel safe.”<\/p>\n
Together with Matan, she built a home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, a bakery, and a greenhouse \u2013 “until October 7 shattered everything.”<\/p>\n
Ilana recalled how she first hid with Matan in their safe room \u2013 “he held the door, and I tried to calm our dog, Nuni” \u2013 until they were forced to flee. She found shelter in the home of Gadi and Yehudit Haggai, who were murdered and abducted to Gaza.<\/p>\n “The Terrorists Sexually Abused Me”<\/strong> She suffered a broken jaw and pelvis, ear damage, and a burn on her leg. “One of them told me I would never be released, that I was beautiful, and that we would marry and have children.”<\/p>\n She was repeatedly moved between houses, tunnels, and filthy apartments. “We spent 40 days with almost no food or water, without medicine, under ongoing psychological terror. I lost 12 kilos. I was denied medication despite preexisting conditions. They decided when we could talk, when we could sleep, when we could go to the bathroom. Every chickpea was only after they had taken the meat and rice for themselves.”<\/p>\n Four days before her release, she was taken to Nasser Hospital, and from there \u2013 to a tunnel. There she met fellow hostages Eitan Horn and David Cunio and learned for the first time that Matan was still held in Gaza. “I begged to see him. They said \u2018later.\u2019 But \u2018later\u2019 never came. In the end, I had to leave with a hole in my heart.” She said she was repeatedly deceived, promised false releases, forced to strip for fear of tracking devices \u2013 until she was freed after 55 days.<\/p>\n “I Have a Safe Room \u2013 Matan Does Not”<\/strong> “I survived, but my soul is still there. Until everyone returns \u2013 none of us are truly free.”<\/p>\n The Hypocrisy of the International Community<\/strong> Ilana Gritzewsky, who endured 55 days in Hamas captivity, testified before the UN Security Council about the severe physical, sexual, and psychological abuse she suffered \u2013 and called for the immediate release of the hostages. “I survived, but my soul is still there.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":27588,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2241,2276,8,6,65],"tags":[2824,6786,6915,2846,1705,6512,1791],"class_list":["post-27587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-israel-advocacy","category-people","category-politics","category-security","category-world","tag-courage","tag-human-interest","tag-ilana-gritzewsky","tag-inspiring","tag-israeli-hostages","tag-matan-zangauker","tag-un"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/D_ST8037-4-1.jpg-1-1024x683.webp\")
\nShe described the harrowing moments of her abduction, while clutching a picture of her partner, Matan: “They grabbed me by the hair, beat me, tried to film me, I begged them not to rape me and not to kill me. They threw me onto a motorcycle, and on the way they began to sexually abuse me \u2013 until I fainted. When I woke up, I found myself half-naked, surrounded by terrorists.”<\/p>\n
\n“People look at my face and think I am free,” she told Council members. “But trauma doesn\u2019t end with release. Every siren takes me back there, to hell. The difference is that I have a safe room \u2013 and Matan does not.”<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/F250815JS07-2048x1369.jpg-1024x685.webp\")
\nGritzewsky courageously faced the UN audience and accused the international community of moral blindness. “Why are cartels in Mexico considered terrorists, but Hamas \u2013 which raped women, burned children, and abducted the elderly \u2013 is not condemned in the same way? Why is our pain questioned?” She urged the Council to act immediately: “Not tomorrow, not in the distant future \u2013 now. Bring them home.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"