Former hostage Ilana Gritzewsky attended the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva with the goal of raising awareness of the violence committed against victims of the October 7 massacre and the hostages held in Gaza.
"I have to speak for those who no longer have a voice, so people will understand what our soldiers are fighting for day and night," Gritzewsky said. She noted that this was the first time she had given an interview since the release of her partner, Matan Zangauker.
Gritzewsky was accompanied by Merav Lapidot, and the two were brought to the session by UN Watch, a Geneva-based organization that monitors the activities and resolutions of the United Nations. The organization points to what it describes as a consistent anti-Israel bias, noting that between 2006 and 2025, the Human Rights Council adopted 112 resolutions condemning Israel-nearly half of all country-specific condemnations issued against the rest of the world combined during that period.
Israel's Ambassador to the UN institutions in Geneva, Daniel Meron, said there is a coordinated effort by the BDS movement to turn the victims into the accused. He also charged that UN Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem has spread falsehoods and refused to acknowledge what Israeli women endured during the Hamas massacre and in captivity.
Alsalem's report to the council mentioned "Palestinian suffering" 11 times but did not include a single reference to the atrocities of October 7 or the hardships faced by Israeli civilians. UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer criticized the report, saying, "There is something absurd about the fact that the UN envoy responsible for combating violence against women has produced a document that erases Hamas' victims."
Neuer added that while Alsalem accuses Israel, Gritzewsky stood before the council to testify that Israeli women were assaulted and abducted.
During the session, Gritzewsky addressed Alsalem directly and delivered a harrowing account of her experience on October 7 and during her captivity.
"On October 7, terrorists broke into our kibbutz. They touched me and abused me. I woke up half-naked with seven terrorists standing over me," she told the council. "I came back with a broken hip, a broken jaw, and a wounded soul."
Gritzewsky accused the special rapporteur of silence and denial, declaring: "I am another Israeli woman who begged not to be hurt. Why were you silent? Please look at me."
At the conclusion of her speech, as Gritzewsky left the chamber visibly trembling, Alsalem responded only briefly. She said that regarding violence committed against Israeli women and girls on October 7, she referred to a public statement published on her website.
Alsalem added, "For the past three years I have requested to speak with survivors of October 7 and to visit Israel and Gaza, but the Israeli government has rejected my requests."
The special rapporteur concluded by saying she remains willing to meet with Gritzewsky before leaving the chamber at the end of the session.