Amit Soussana, a 40-year-old lawyer, was held hostage by Hamas. She courageously broke her silence, becoming the first Israeli hostage to publicly reveal the sexual abuse she endured during captivity. According to The New York Times, Amit recounted how her captor, who went by the name Muhammad, subjected her to horrifying experiences.
Soussana, endured a harrowing ordeal. Her abuse commenced soon after her capture, and she suffered not only sexual abuse but also physical violence at the hands of her captors.
After 55 days of captivity, she was finally released along with 105 other hostages. However, the scars of her traumatic experience persist, leaving her traumatized. Her courage in speaking out about her suffering sheds light on the immense strength required to survive.
The lawyer, recounted her horrifying experience while in captivity. She was held at a home in Gaza, which served as a makeshift jail. There, a man named Muhammad subjected her to assault and harassment.
From the very moment she arrived, he lifted her shirt, groped her, and continued to torment her throughout her captivity.
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Indeed, Amit Soussana’s abduction garnered widespread attention due to the shocking circumstances surrounding it. Social media videos captured the brutal scene: Hamas gunmen relentlessly beating her in an attempt to subdue her.
Amit courageously fought back, attempting to escape from her captors during the October 7 attacks. Her kidnapping occurred at Kibbutz Kfar Azza, a kibbutz located just a stone’s throw away from the Gaza border.
“He sat me on the edge of the bath. And I closed my legs. And I resisted. And he kept punching me and put his gun in my face. Then he dragged me to the bedroom,” Amit Soussana was quoted as saying by The New York Times.
“He came towards me and shoved the gun at my forehead. Then he, with the gun pointed at me, forced me to commit a sexual act on him,” Amit Soussana said, adding he took her to a children’s bedroom adorned with Spongebob Squarepants decorations to sexually assault her.
Amit Soussana recounted a chilling moment during her captivity. After being unchained to take a bath, she was assaulted by Muhammad, her captor.
Amit Soussana recounted a harrowing experience: a man approached her, pressing a gun against her forehead. Under threat, she was coerced into performing a sexual act. The assailant led her to a children’s room adorned with cheerful SpongeBob SquarePants decorations, where the horrifying assault took place.
She further added that ‘Muhammad’ was always interested in her sex life and frequently walked into her room wearing just underwear, asking if he could give her a massage. The captor also was interested in when she would get her period.
“Every day, he would ask: ‘Did you get your period? Did you get your period? When you get your period, when it will be over, you will wash, you will take a shower and you will wash your clothes,” she said.
After the torment finally subsided, Muhammad’s demeanor shifted. He implored her, “Please, refrain from disclosing this to Israel.”
After her relocation to a different hideout, away from Muhammad, the violence against Soussana persisted. She recounts being assaulted by multiple guards at approximately six locations, including Hamas tunnels.
On one occasion, she was bound and suspended between two couches, akin to a helpless chicken, before enduring a brutal beating. The aftermath left her with a myriad of injuries: fractures in her right eye socket, cheek, knee, and nose, as well as severe bruising on her knee and back.
Hamas has vehemently contested Amit Soussana’s account, attempting to cast doubt on her harrowing story. This challenge extends even to the United Nations report, which recently highlighted “clear and convincing information” regarding sexual violence suffered by some of the hostages during their captivity.
Despite these challenges, Soussana’s brave decision to speak out aims to raise awareness about the plight of the remaining hostages in Gaza, where negotiations for a cease-fire have faltered.
Spokesman Basem Naim, in a statement to The New York Times, expressed skepticism about the story, suggesting that it might have been concocted by security officers.
He emphasized that, according to their religious beliefs, all human beings, irrespective of their gender, religion, or ethnicity, are sacred and should not be subjected to mistreatment.
Approximately 130 hostages remain in Hamas custody, and efforts to negotiate a ceasefire and secure their release have proven unsuccessful. The October 7 terror attacks carried out by Hamas resulted in the tragic loss of over 1,200 civilians. In the aftermath, Israel’s retaliation has led to the deaths of 32,000 Palestinians.
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