GENEVA — Jenny Sividia, a survivor of the October 7th massacre at the Nova festival, addressed members of the UN Human Rights Council on the WJC’s behalf at the body’s ongoing session in Geneva. She shared her story of survival, recounted the loss of her brother at the hands of Hamas, and called on members of the international community to hold the perpetrators of the October 7th attack accountable.

Speaking later that same day, Yarden Gonen, whose sister Romi is currently a hostage in Gaza, called on member-state representatives at the UNHRC to bring about the immediate release of the hostages. 

Read her statement below:

My name is Jenny Sividia and I’m a survivor of the Hamas October 7th massacre in southern Israel.  I want to address this Council today on behalf of the World Jewish Congress and tell you my story and the story of those who wanted to enjoy life but were butchered by Hamas, among them is my younger and only brother Shlomi. Our story is real.  

For 10 hours me and my partner Noam were dodging bullets, grenades, RPGs, and missiles, skipping hundreds of dead bodies, hiding in bushes and trees. Thousands of Hamas terrorists and, as we now know, Gaza civilians, surrounded us, leaving us no safe path to escape to. 

The sights, smells, and sounds of women, men, and children screaming for their lives while being burned alive, mutilated, or raped, and the sounds of the terrorists laughing, bragging, and enjoying their barbarian killings keep coming back to me again and again and will haunt me for the rest of my life. 

Regrettably, almost half a year after these horrific events, I still feel the threat of Hamas terror.  

I am real, my story is real, and my brother’s death is real!  

Mr. President, I am asking the Council to stop the silence and blindness surrounding the October 7th massacre, to condemn Hamas, and to ensure accountability for their crimes and guarantee the safety of the citizens of Israel. 

Thank you.