A young Israeli woman, Romi Gonen, held captive by Hamas for over a year, has spoken out about the harrowing abuse she endured during her captivity. In an emotional interview with CNN, Gonen described her deep-seated fear of being treated as a “sex slave” by her captors after experiencing repeated sexual assaults. Now, at 25 years old, she is determined to share her story, stating, “No one will silence me anymore.”
Gonen was taken hostage during the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. For 471 days, she was moved between various locations in Gaza, where she faced horrific treatment. She was one of the first three Israeli hostages released as part of a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas.
Reflecting on her traumatic experience, Gonen recounted that the first sexual assault occurred just days into her captivity. For the first 34 days, she was in solitary confinement, seeing her captors infrequently, including a so-called medic who treated a gunshot wound she sustained during the attack. In a chilling account, she described how this individual assaulted her under the guise of providing care. “He was a ‘nurse’ so he allowed himself to ‘help me.’ I was wounded, powerless, and couldn’t do anything,” she explained.
During her captivity, Gonen faced continuous harassment from two men named Ibrahim and Mohammed. She detailed the psychological torment she endured, stating, “I’m sitting on the bed. Ibrahim comes and sits next to me and harasses me. Everything is in complete silence. I start crying insanely, and he says, ‘Be careful. If you don’t calm down, I’ll get angry.’”
The abuse escalated to the point where one of her captors forced her into a bathroom and assaulted her, an experience Gonen described as dehumanizing. “I was crying like crazy, and he was having the time of his life, ecstatic, as if he had received the gift of a lifetime,” she said, expressing the overwhelming despair she felt during those moments.
As the situation worsened, senior Hamas leaders were made aware of the ongoing harassment. Gonen was eventually put on the phone with Izz a Din al-Haddad, the then-head of the Hamas Gaza Brigade, who offered her a disturbing deal: “I will put you at the top of the release list, and in return, you will promise me that you will keep quiet.”
Despite the trauma she experienced, Gonen has emerged with a powerful message. “They often silenced my story and told me not to tell it. Now I am here, sitting in front of the camera, and honestly, no one will silence me anymore,” she asserted.
Her bravery has inspired others, as reports indicate that at least thirteen other women and two men also confirmed experiences of sexual violence while held hostage in Gaza, according to a report by the Dinah Project published in July 2025.
As Gonen continues to advocate for herself and others, she emphasizes the lasting impact of her ordeal. “It happened to me, and it was terrible, and I deal with the consequences every day, but I am here. I beat it. I am in the aftermath, and I am much stronger than it,” she concluded, embodying resilience in the face of unimaginable hardship.
