“He came to me and pointed the gun at my forehead”: for the first time a former hostage in Gaza talks about the violence (including sexual) she suffered

by Pietro Baragiola
Tuesday 26 March the American newspaper The New York Times published the courageous testimony of Amit Soussanaone of the hostages freed by Hamas who suffered sexual violence during her detention in Gaza.

An 8-hour, dramatic and terrible story, in which the forty-year-old, a lawyer specializing in the field of intellectual property, describes the nightmare experienced in her 55 days of prison until their release during the ceasefire at the end of November.

“Initially I hesitated to speak because I didn’t want to jeopardize the release of the other hostages” explained Amit, determined to share the story of the violence she suffered in order to raise public awareness of the situation of the 134 Israelis still held hostage for more than 172 days.

Amit’s testimony also marks an important turning point in what it is there first time that a freed hostage has spoken publicly about the sexual abuse suffered by Hamas terrorists.

Violence and aggression

Amit was captured on October 7 by kibbutzim Kfar Azaone of the areas most affected by the Hamas attack.

During her testimony, the woman said that, once taken to Gaza, she was isolated and chained in a children’s bedroom, under the watchful surveillance of a guard called Muhammad. In the days leading up to the attack, Muhammad began asking her very personal questions about her sex life and when she would get her period.

“Every day he asked me: ‘Did you get your period? Have you got your period? When they come and are finished you will wash yourself, take a shower and clean your clothes” said Amit.

Although her period ended on October 18, the woman tried to delay the imminent danger by lying about the fact that her menstruation continued throughout the following week, but the October 24 Muhammad made her go to the bathroom and, after forcing her to wash, tore the towel off her and attacked her.

“He came to me and put the gun to my forehead,” Amit explained. “He made me sit on the edge of the tub and I closed my legs, resisting. Then he started punching me and pointed the gun in my face. At that point he dragged me into the bedroom where he forced me to perform a sexual act on him.”

A painful testimonymade even more difficult by the comment her attacker made after the violence: “I’m bad, I’m bad, please don’t tell Israel.”

A few days later Amit was shifted to another block of flats where she was handed over to a man named Amir and held together with four other Israeli hostages.

Guards at her new prison grabbed the woman, wrapped her head in a pink T-shirt and forced her onto the floor where they hit her with the butt of a gun. “They tied my hands, like a chicken, to a stick that joined two sofas. Terrible pain” explained Amit who, unresponsive, continued to be violently beaten by her tormentors for 45 minutes.

“They hit me, kicked me and laughed, calling the other prisoners to come and witness the scene.” An unspeakable violence that even led one of the hostages to ask Amit, now certain of her own death, if she had a last message for her family.

The reactions to Amit’s testimony

After the publication of the article in the New York Times the IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari was among the first to comment on Amit’s interview, stating the importance of his story.

“Amit’s courage and his choice in sharing this difficult testimony deserve our deep appreciation,” said Hagari. “Amit is a true hero and her message is a call to the entire world to take action and do everything possible to put pressure on Hamas to release all 134 of her hostages. This is why we are still in Gaza. This is why we fight.”

Basem Naim, Hamas spokesmansent a 1300 word response to Times stating the impossibility of investigating this testimony “given the current circumstances” and expressing his skepticism as to why Amit waited so long to come forward with his statement.

There Israeli gynecologist Julia Barda And the social worker Valeria Tsekhovsky, who spoke to Amit upon release, responded to these statements by stating that the woman “spoke immediately, fluently and in detail, not only about her sexual assault but also about the many other sufferings she experienced.”

Also the president Isaac Herzog he explored the topic in depth on his X profile, praising the woman for her testimony. “Amit speaks for all victims of Hamas’s despicable crimes and sexual abuse. She speaks for all women. The entire world has a moral duty to stand with her and all the victims in condemning Hamas’ brutal terror and calling for the immediate return of the hostages.”