Released hostages from Hamas captivity share haunting memories nearly a year after the October 7 attack
Nearly a year since Ilana Gritzewsky was taken hostage by Hamas, the memories of the Oct. 7 attacks linger, and her 55 days in Gaza's tunnels changed her forever.
Ilana Gritzewsky, a pastry chef, no longer bakes cakes.
It’s been almost a year since she was taken hostage by Hamas — the memories of the Oct. 7 terror attacks remain vivid — and her 55 days trapped in the group's tunnels under the Gaza Strip transformed her.
“Today, I’m doing more things that I didn’t used to do, rather than the things I used to do,” said Gritzewsky, 30, who spoke to NBC News ahead of the first anniversary of the attack.
“I don’t bake anymore, which is my profession. I can’t handle it right now,” added Gritzewsky, who was taken captive from kibbutz Nir Oz, a small community in southwestern Israel around 2 miles from the fenced-off border with Gaza.
Clockwise from top left: Moran Stela Yanai, Ilana Gritzewsky, Aviva Siegel and Agam Goldstein-Almog.NBC NewsGuilt weighs heavily on her. Her boyfriend, Matan Zangauker, 24, was taken at the same time and remains in captivity, one of around 100 hostages still in Gaza, although around a third are believed to be dead.
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