Amit Soussana, who was released from Hamas captivity, spoke last night (Monday) at a conference at the White House on the issue of sexual assault and rape in conflicts, courageously recounting the abuse she endured.
"It's hard for me to talk about what happened to me but it's harder to remain silent," Sosna told the audience. "The sexual abuse I endured should not happen to anyone, there is no justification for it. I told myself that if I get out of this alive, I won't let it define me [but] I cannot heal as long as the captives there are suffering."
Sosna, who was released after 55 days in captivity, revealed in March that she had endured sexual abuse while held captive by Hamas militants in Gaza.
As reported by The Jewish Chronicle, Soussana, who was released from captivity on the last day of a weeklong truce in late November (2023), recounted how she was held alone, chained up in a child’s bedroom in darkness where she was forced to commit sexual acts for her Hamas captor, who she said went by the name Muhammad." Soussana spoke of the immense psychological torture, saying "You're completely dependent on him [your Hamas guard] ...you know that every moment it can happen again."
However she says, "I don't see myself as a victim. I am an independent and strong woman and no one will take that away from me."
She added that the world must talk about what the captives are still going through, saying she saw President Biden's visit to Israel during her captivity which encouraged her.
As reported by i24 News, US Vice President Kamala Harris, who led the conference, said Israeli testimonies concerning Hamas' use of sexualized and gender-based violence on October 7th will only increase as more hostages are released from Gaza. "We must condemn sexual assault and rape during conflicts," Harris declared. "I met with Amit Soussana, a brave survivor who spoke about the sexual abuse she endured while held captive by Hamas. We cannot ignore this and we will not be silent."
The event also featured a screening of Sheryl Sandberg's documentary "Screams Before Silence" raising awareness about conflict-related sexual violence worldwide.