Amit Soussana, a victim who was released by Hamas after 54 days in the Gaza Strip, spoke about having suffered sexual violence. She spoke to the press in front of her old house, which was destroyed
Photo: REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini/File Photo
An Israeli woman who was kidnapped by Hamas in the Gaza Strip for 54 days reported being a victim of sexual violence during the time of her abduction. Amit Soussana, 40, gave the account in an interview with the New York Times, talking about the crimes she suffered.
This was the first time that a victim told in the first person about the sexual crimes committed by members of Hamas against people kidnapped in Israel, who were taken to the Gaza Strip.
Amir has been kidnapped since October 7, 2023, when the first Hamas attack on Israel took place. She was taken from kibbutz Kfar Aza, where she lived alone. When she heard the sirens warning of the attack, she hid in her room, which had reinforced security, but Hamas members blew up the door and took her away.
That day, around 1,200 people were killed and hundreds more Israelis were kidnapped. Israel then declared war on Hamas.
Amit was only released on November 30th. To the American newspaper, she said she was trapped in a children’s room, chained by the ankle. The man watching her used to come into the room and touch her underneath her clothes. He asked her several times when her period would end. She said she pretended she was still menstruating for a week after it ended.
Around October 24, the man took her to a bathroom so she could wash, standing at the door with a gun. After she took a shower, he attacked her. He took her to a child’s room and, with the gun pointed at the woman’s forehead, forced her to have sex with him.
Amit’s account was found by the New York Times to be consistent with the description she gave to two doctors and a social worker shortly after her release. Medical reports describe the crime, which no further details were released.
Amit was taken to more than five different places during the kidnapping. She was in people’s homes, an office and a tunnel, according to reports.
For fear of not being released, Amit said in a Hamas video that she was being treated well as a hostage. At the end of November, 106 people were released. According to the newspaper, the woman decided to tell the truth about the conditions of the hostages who are still under Hamas control in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas has denied accusations that its members committed sexual violence during the October 7 attack or later with the hostages it kidnapped that day.
Source: Redação Terra
