In a chilling and deeply personal television interview, a young Israeli woman has broken her silence about the systematic sexual abuse and psychological terror she endured during more than 15 months as a hostage of Hamas militants in Gaza.
A Harrowing First-Hand Account
Romi Gonen, who was freed ten months ago as part of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal after 471 days in captivity, gave her first full public account on Israel's Channel 12 current affairs program "Uvda" ("Fact"). The interview, broadcast on a Thursday night, detailed a nightmare of repeated assaults from the moment she was taken.
"I experienced various types of harassment from four different men during captivity, in four different levels of severity," Gonen stated candidly. She described how the abuse began almost immediately after she was taken from the Supernova music festival during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023.
Assaults Began Within Days
Gonen revealed that the first assault occurred just four days into her ordeal. After being moved from a hospital to an apartment, she was attacked by a man presented as a doctor, named Mohammad, who claimed he was helping her shower due to her wounds.
"He took everything from me," Gonen recounted. "I felt this was it. Only four days had passed and I have to continue living with him in the house. There was no way to know how this situation would have developed."
The terror did not end there. Shortly after, another terrorist arrived at the apartment and filmed the first video of her in Gaza. This man, also named Mohammad and identified as a cameraman, later became another source of fear.
"The Worst 16 Days of My Captivity"
Gonen described in a choked voice how she was often left alone with the cameraman. One night, sensing danger, she moved to a children's room to sleep. The next morning, he issued a terrifying ultimatum: "Yesterday evening was a one-time thing. From today, we sleep together, bed next to bed. I go with you to the bathroom. Every night I will handcuff you."
For the following 16 days, this man enforced his control. "Mohammad comes into the bathroom with me and looks at me," Gonen said. "He constantly comes into the bathroom with me; they give me massages on my leg and continue on my whole body. This lasted 16 days. And they were the worst of my captivity."
The psychological torment was compounded by a profound physical fear. When Gonen did not get her period, she and her captors feared she might be pregnant. She had previously invented a fictional husband as a protective measure. "My biggest fear was that they did something to me," she explained. The captors, believing her story, brought a pregnancy test, which ultimately returned a negative result.
The Long Road to Release
Gonen's captivity finally ended 10 months ago during the second phase of a hostage-prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas. A photo from January 19, 2025, shows her reunited with her mother, Meirav, at an undisclosed location in Israel following the implementation of the ceasefire.
Her detailed testimony adds to a growing body of evidence regarding the treatment of hostages, particularly women, during the ongoing conflict. It underscores the complex and traumatic aftermath faced by survivors long after their physical release.
Gonen's account, marked by its raw honesty about the sexual violence she endured, serves as a powerful and disturbing testament to the horrors faced by hostages. It highlights the enduring psychological scars that such experiences inflict, a reality that continues long after the headlines fade.
