Amit Soussana, an Israeli lawyer, shocked Israelis on Tuesday when she revealed that she had endured a horrific sexual assault during her 55-day captivity by Hamas terrorists after being abducted from her home during the October 7 attack on southern Israel.
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In extensive interviews with The New York Times, the 40-year-old Soussana provided chilling details of her ordeal, including how a Hamas guard she called "Muhammad" repeatedly sexually assaulted her at gunpoint.
"He came towards me and shoved the gun at my forehead," Soussana recalled. After hitting her and making her remove her towel, Muhammad groped her, sat her on the edge of the bathtub, and then hit her again, the Times reported.
Video: IDF calls on world to act / Credit:x/@idf
"Then he, with the gun pointed at me, forced me to commit a sexual act on him," she said.
Her personal account is corroborated by medical reports and testimony given to doctors and a social worker within 24 hours of her release on November 30th.
Soussana says she decided to speak out now to raise awareness of the plight of over 100 hostages still being held by Hamas as ceasefire negotiations falter.
A Hamas spokesman tried to belittle her ordeal, stating "For us, the human body, and especially that of the woman, is sacred." However, a UN report found "clear and convincing information" of sexual violence against hostages.
The Times report provided graphic details of Soussana's abduction from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Azza, her transfers between detention sites, beatings, and the psychological torture she endured at the hands of her militant captors before her dramatic release.
"I remember, I started to cry," she said of the moment she was handed over to the International Red Cross. "A couple more minutes and we're going to meet you."
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