Ex-hostage Amit Soussana: 'I Fought Off Many Men'

Tuesday, 4 March 2025 | Amit Soussana, a survivor of Hamas captivity who bravely shared her experience of sexual assault during her ordeal, was honored with a special award from the Michal Sela Forum for her groundbreaking efforts in the fight against sexual violence.

Soussana, 40, a lawyer at Luzzatto & Luzzatto, was kidnapped on October 7 and released after 55 days of captivity in Gaza.

Upon receiving the award, Soussana said, "I chose to speak about the trauma I endured. I wanted justice for the women and men who have been hurt, justice for our country and justice for myself. I couldn’t bear the denial."

"After sharing my story, many women reached out to me, sharing their own experiences. We, women, are the stronger sex—we just need a more balanced playing field. This is the strength of this forum, which seeks solutions to prevent violence. I fought off many men; I know how much determination and willpower are required in this battle. My struggle may have been lost from the start, but that's not the case for this forum. I thank you for your valuable work."

In her harrowing testimony, which was published after her release in a hostage-prisoner swap with Hamas in November, Soussana described how, days after being abducted from her home in Kfar Aza, one of her captors—an armed Hamas terrorist named Mohammed—began asking her about her sex life. She was held alone in a children's room, which she recalled was covered in posters of the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants, chained at her ankle. According to her, her captor would sleep in an adjacent room, often entering while only wearing underwear, sometimes sitting on her bed, lifting her shirt and touching her.

Soussana recounted how he repeatedly asked when her menstrual cycle was due. When her period ended around October 18, she tried to avoid being assaulted by pretending her period was still ongoing, even for an entire week. The severe sexual assault occurred several days later, around October 24, when her captor freed her from her chains and insisted that she take a shower. After resisting, he took her to the kitchen, showing her a pot of boiling water on the stove, before leading her to the bathroom, where he forced her to pour the hot water on herself.

After washing for several minutes, she heard him calling her from the door, demanding she hurry. As she turned around, she saw him standing there with a weapon. She tried to cover herself with a towel, but he struck her. "Amit, Amit, take it off," he demanded, and she was forced to comply, with the weapon in his hand.

"He pushed me onto the edge of the bathtub. I closed my legs and resisted. He continued hitting me, placing his weapon in my face, then dragged me to the bedroom," she recalled. After the assault, he took a shower, leaving her naked in the dark. When he returned, she said he showed remorse, saying, "I’m bad, I’m bad. Please don’t tell Israel."

She explained that after the assault, she feared being attacked again at any moment. "You can’t look at him, but you must. He’s the one guarding you, you’re with him—and you know it could happen again at any moment. You’re completely dependent on him."